


Fairy Tail 365: A Letter for Makarov

by FiveCentFanFics



Series: Fairy Tail 365 [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Goblin Horn, Wraith Overlord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveCentFanFics/pseuds/FiveCentFanFics
Summary: The war against the Black wizard Zeref and the Dragon King, Acnologia, has ended; towns are beginning to rebuild and heal from the onslaught; and dark guilds are on the rise. Many of the Fairy Tail members are being treated for serious injury, but there is work to be done. The day after the fight has ceased, Jet and Droy have been dispatched to the quiet town of Oshibana to prevent an on-the-rise dark guild from taking over. A mysterious letter has arrived for the out of commission master of Fairy Tail: Makarov Dreyar. The language used in the correspondence is so unknown that not even Levy McGarden is able to read it, so she and Freed Justine are instructed to translate the message and head to the Grand Library of Crocus. What happens when no one hears back from Team Shadow Gear? Chaos, emotion, and a rescue mission!
Relationships: Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Series: Fairy Tail 365 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095227
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: Fairy Tail Fantasies, Fav Fairy Tail Fics





	Fairy Tail 365: A Letter for Makarov

The Kingdom of Fiore, a once peaceful nation, had faced many dark forces in its’ days, but none as catastrophic as the combined might of the black mage Zeref and Acnologia, the Dragon King. Following the hard-fought war between the mightiest magical guilds of the continent of Ishgar and the dark horde of powerful wizards within the Alakitasian army, victory befell the Dragon Slayers and their comrades. Unfortunately, not all victories leave the victors feeling victorious. Many of the brave allies who had come to the aid of the Fairy Tail Guild during this brawl had suffered severe injuries. What's more, the cities that had once shown bright with promise and opportunity were now in ruin and despair. The destruction had been so great, and reached so far, in fact, that even with the assistance of the Grand Magic Council and the King of Fiore's personal team of construction workers there are still many areas that remain devastated three full days later.

The day after the carnage had ended, the members of Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, and Quatro Puppy returned to their homes for healing and rebuilding. This left the heroes of Fairy Tail to do the same within Magnolia Town whose destruction remains, without a doubt, the most disastrous. In fact, even with help from the Magic Council over the last few days, there has been little progress made to reconstructing the town. The guild hall that had once stood proud, was once again in pieces save for the archway of the entrance. This is where the severely wounded wizards of the Fairy Tail guild have been being treated over the last seventy-two hours.

The primary reason for the delay in construction lies with many of our energetic heroes still being too wounded to lend a hand. Among the most serious of the injured of Magnolia's legendary guild is the guild's master: Makarov Dreyar, who only narrowly escaped death during the battle in order to even the odds for his children against massive might of the enemy. It’s also worth noting that Erza Scarlett, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Wendy Marvell, Gajeel Redfox, Gildarts Clive, and Laxus Dreyar, the master's grandson, are still under strict rule of Porlyusica, one of Makarov’s oldest friends and talented healer from the parallel world Edolas, to remain in bed until they’ve fully recovered. It’s probably not a surprise that there are those who are resistant to laying in bed while there is work to be done.

With two of the guilds’ former masters, Gildarts Clive and Erza Scarlett, as well as the current master, being out of commission the task of leading the reconstruction of Magnolia and running the rowdy wizards of Fairy Tail fell on the one master who sustained minimal injuries during the onslaught: Macao Conbolt. Although he is normally barely competent in his day to day life, he has actually managed to pull himself together, just enough, in order to wrangle the team together during this difficult time. Under his leadership, the battle weary wizards have become organized enough to make a dent in the cleanup portion of their tasks during these past three days.

During this time, those capable of lending a hand, whether it be citizen or public figure, within the city have been out putting buildings back together piece by piece. Jobs had been flying into the deconstructed guildhall requesting assistance in finding lost pets or family trinkets, but Master Macao, as very few guild members addressed him, had only granted a few of the members authorization to take on these tasks. Two wizards blessed with Macao's permission are Jet and Droy of Team Shadow Gear; the day after the war, they were dispatched to the small, and generally friendly town of Oshibana due to reports of a dark guild by the name of Goblin Horn claiming the town as their own stomping ground. Another member of Fairy Tail's Team Shadow Gear, Levy McGarden, has been tasked with deciphering a mysterious letter that arrived that very same day. It was addressed to Master Makarov, and it was clearly written in a rush using an old, forgotten script that was unrecognizable to the handful of individuals who had seen it, including Levy. What's worse is that the handwriting was so bad that it was already difficult to make out what the symbols were. The letter read:

'Makarov,

* * * *_ * * * * * * *_ * * * *_

-*_*_'

With orders from the acting master of her guild, Levy set out for the Royal Library in the capitol city of Crocus the very morning that the letter was received. Panther Lily, the Exceed companion of the Iron Dragon Slayer: Gajeel Redfox, insisted on accompanying the small mage stating: “It’s what Gajeel would want me to do.”. It turns out that he wasn’t alone in his chivalry. Freed Justine, a member of one of Fairy Tail's strongest teams called the Thunder Legion, offered up his skill set to aid in this quest. When the idea was presented to Master Macao, he agreed diplomatically and took credit for it when the trio departed.

It is now the morning of the second day since the departure of Freed and Levy, and Lily has returned from his journey to ensure the safety of his best friend’s girl. As he makes his way through the broken streets of Magnolia to the crumbled heap of stone that was once the crowded, joy-filled guildhall of Fairy Tail, he tries not to envision how upset the temperamental Dragon Slayer is going to be with him. Through the archway that is still miraculously standing, Lily can already see the drawn curtains surrounding his bedridden friends. Gildarts Clive, whose makeshift hospital room is the closest to the entrance, could be heard chuckling with his daughter, Cana; Wendy Marvell, the young Wind Dragon Slayer, was silent behind her curtains six feet to the right of Gildarts; Juvia Lockser was the next in the line of those in need of critical care, and it was also quiet within her area; Gray Fullbuster was on her right and also resting; next in the line was the unconscious Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel, who Panther Lily was able to catch a glimpse of as Lucy Heartfilia was leaving to join the others with the cleanup; then there was Lily's closest friend, who he could see was already sitting up waiting for him.

“Where the hell you been Lily?”

“Isn't it a little early to be this hostile? Glad to see you seem to be feeling at least a little better. Two days ago, you were sleeping peacefully, and now you’re sitting up and glaring.”

“Ha-ha. Go ahead and make jokes cat, but Macao’s already told me about the stupid job you and Levy went out on.”

“Well, then you should know where I’ve been .”

“I don’t know a damn thing. That idiot won't tell me anything else other than you two have been out on a job. I asked him where you were and when you were coming back, but he just kept saying: “iT’s A sEcREt.” So, tell me where the hell you were.”

“Alright, calm down. Levy is fine. A letter arrived here a couple of days ago addressed to Master Makarov, in a language that no one here recognized, and naturally she as chosen to decipher it. She thought that the library in Crocus would have all of the resources she needs to translate it, so I rode there with her to make sure she was settled.”

“And you just left her there alone?!”

“Of course not...Freed is there with her.”

“THAT IDIOT?! Why the hell is he there?!”

“Well, Levy had never seen the language before, which we both know is basically unheard of, and he offered his help. She actually seemed happy to have it.”

“You should’ve stayed there with her. That Thunder Legion loser can’t protect her.”

“Protect her from what? Have you forgotten that we literally just won the war against Zeref?”

“There are still threats out there. Dark guilds that've been waiting for their chance to take over. Jet and Droy went to Oshibana because it's being overrun by one called Goblin Horn and, no surprise, they haven’t made it back yet.”

“They haven't? They left right before we did...look Gajeel, I knew I wouldn’t be of much help to her. I just knew you’d want to know that she got there safely – she did by the way. She should be back by the end of the week, so j – hey what do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m goin' to Crocus.”

Gajeel had gotten out of bed and was putting on his battle-worn clothes. Before Panther Lily had the opportunity to voice his disapproval, the Dragon Slayer had left the guildhall. It took Lily being in flight to catch up to his overprotective friend.

“Gajeel. Levy can handle this herself. She’s just translating a couple of sentences. Us being there is only going to get in her way.”

“I don’t like this Lily. She should be resting like the rest of us. Those Bane Particles took a lot of ME, so I know she’s gotta be havin' a hard time. Plus, somethin's off about this note. It just shows up and no one knows how, and then that dark guild takes over an entire town. I just don’t like it.”

“Well, Porlyusica made sure she was given some of the antidote for the Bane Particles before we left...but you think the letter and the dark guild are connected?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not waitin' to find out.”

“Alright, but you should know that she said something when we were going to Crocus.”

“Oh yeah? What'd she say?”

“Well, she mentioned that she's felt like she hasn't been pulling her weight. She insisted that she needed to do this job because everyone is always coming to her rescue, and this was how she was going to get to do her part for once…”

“…she said that?”

“Yes. Of course, I told her that she’s one of the strongest people I know, but…you know how she gets when her heart is set on something.”

Gajeel let out a soft chuckle and answered: “Yeah, she’s a stubborn kid that’s for sure. Look Lily, the truth is…I have to see her. I need to know she’s okay. After everything that went down with that Bloodman creep…there’s some stuff we have to talk about. It’s just that I’m not…I just have to talk to her. Don’t give me that look damn it.”

Panther Lily smirked as the pair entered the same wagon that the Exceed had just returned in. It belonged to a member of the Custody Enforcement Unit of the Magic Council named Zaen that had worked under Gajeel during his reign as the unit's head. Though he wasn't a very strong magic wielder, Zaen was a fairy laid back individual who was always ready to go where he was needed. After a brief conversation and catch up, in which Gajeel threatened to arrest him if he didn't drive them, the calm, young mage agreed to make the trip back to Crocus. The twenty-four hour ride would feel even longer due to the Dragon Slayer's motion sickness.

Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail guildhall: just two hours after the departure of Gajeel and Panther Lily, Natsu has woken up in the remains of the guildhall. As he turns his head to the right, he sees Lucy and Happy sitting next to his bed, both of them looking relieved. Seeing his best friend awake again, Happy began crying and slammed his small body into Natsu’s head, which, on impact, caused his head to turn to the left where he saw that Gray was sitting up in his own bed.

“Hey, what’s the big idea Gray?”

“Didn't you just wake up, Natsu? What’re you goin' on about?”

“Yeah I just woke up, and I don't like that you're tryin’ to heal faster than me!”

“Oh, what the hell are you talkin’ about? I just sat up to get more comfortable you idiot.”

“That better be all it is! Cause there’s no way I’m lettin' you get outta here before me!”

“Oh yeah? So, you’re tryin’ to say you’re gonna get outta bed before I do?!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

Lucy let out an awkward half laugh. “Well Happy I owe you a fish, I guess. I thought for sure they’d leave the competing for after they left the guildhall.” Gray and Natsu were now arguing louder between one another, and Lucy was trying to restrain the hot-headed Fire Dragon Slayer. Happy was laughing with glee while still holding onto his best friends’ face. “Aye! Told ya so! I know Natsu’s big head too well!”

Porlyusica made her way over to the roaring pair of young wizards who were now trying to climb out of their beds, and promptly flicked some sort of periwinkle colored powder into each of their faces. Within only a few moments, each of the headstrong boys had fallen back into their mattresses; peacefully unconscious once again. They weren’t the only ones who were now sleeping soundly though; Happy had still been bear hugging Natsu’s face when the disgruntled medical advisor not-so-delicately dashed her dusty concoction into their faces. Still clutching the pink-haired hothead, the Exceed was now snoring softly on the pillow of his pal’s bed.

Lucy shook her head and smiled at her suddenly restful friends before turning to Porlyusica. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.” When she turned around, Lucy could tell that the Edolas-born healer was drained. She’d worked all day and most of the night since the defeat of Zeref and Acnologia to make sure Master Makarov and the others were treated. Lucy couldn’t help but feel bad for all the trouble she’d been put through. Almost as if she’d read her mind, Porlyusica summoned a small smile. “I won’t allow any more of these unruly fools to run off before they’ve allowed their bodies the time they need to fully recover. Nor will I have them disrupting the rest of those who are worse off than they are.” She proclaimed sternly.

The young Celestial wizard bid farewell to her sleeping friends and made her way out of the improvised hospital toward her apartment. She’d been assisting her landlord and some of the other tenants in reconstructing their broken-down building. Even with assistance from the capitol’s Magic Contractors, this process was proving to be tedious and difficult.

“Open! Gate of the Maiden AND Gate of the Twins! Virgo and Gemini!”

*Ding dong*

“Hello princess! Are we here for punishment?”

“Would you knock it off?! No, I need your help with clearing away some of this rubble! Gemini, can you copy Samuel here and help form some of the less shattered brick back together?”

“Piri, piri! Wow! This guy really knows his way around a broken rock! We’re on it!”

“Thanks guys! Virgo…WOULD YOU PUT SOME CLOTHES ON?!”

“If you wish princess! I’ll start piling some of the bricks that are still mostly intact over here to be mended.”

“Thank you. Alright, I’ll just start loading the unusable pieces into the cart then.”

All of the pain and exhaustion they'd worked through the day before was finally beginning to pay off as the once mountainous pile of debris where the building had once stood was finally cleared. Samuel Boelte is a Magic Contractor from Crocus who spent eighteen hours the previous day lending a hand to Lucy and the other tenants in rebuilding the apartment building . He is a seasoned, work driven wizard who specializes in regeneration of inanimate objects, like cracked stones or splintered wood. Due to working side by side with the gentle giant of a man, Lucy has learned a lot about him; such as, Samuel had been married to ‘the only woman he will ever genuinely love’ for 19 years before she passed away due to an illness just before the fighting with the invading army broke out. He also confided to Lucy that the couple were unable to conceive children, but he admitted that he would’ve appreciated having a daughter like her. This filled her heart with happiness as she had lost her father and this rugged, yet well-groomed, contractor reminded her of him.

At the end of the day, Gemini and Virgo bid their friends farewell and returned to the Celestial Spirit World for some well-earned relaxation. Tomorrow would mark the first official day that Lucy and her companions would be able to start putting the building back together again. Clearing away all the scrap, dust, and assortment of destroyed heirlooms was not only physically exhausting, but also soul crushing for all involved. Everything they’d held dear had literally come crashing down, and many tears had been shed by the people within Magnolia over the last few days. The thought of being able to finally begin piecing her life, and the lives of the other tenants in her building, back together gave Lucy some much needed peace as she tucked her keys back into their carrying case for the evening.

On her way back to the banged-up guildhall, Lucy witnessed many of her guild mates wrapping up their own daily tasks. Elfman and Evergreen appeared to be getting cozy while pulling away a cart that was dangerously close to being overfilled with wreckage. Only a short distance behind them, Mirajane and Lisanna, Elfman's sisters, seemed to be fairly amused by the apparent couple as they heaved their own wagon that was filled with shattered pieces of stained glass from the cathedral. She also studied various townspeople and visiting volunteers making their way to the temporary housing just outside the city’s gates that was provided by the Magic Council members who were sent to help the citizens.

As Lucy entered through the archway of what had served as both an infirmary and her short-term living space, the sun had set. She observed Cana having what she counted was her fifth barrel of wine while joking with her seemingly restored father: Gildarts. Lucy could tell at-a-glance that he was in better shape, and she overheard him trying to charm Porlyusica into letting him have a drink with his ‘widdle pwincess’. Although Porlyusica seemed thoroughly unamused, Cana was in a fit of giggling that seemed to brighten the worn spirits of the other passersby.

Making her way past the intoxicated father/daughter duo, Lucy peeked through the curtains of Wendy’s chamber and saw the young, beaten Dragon Slayer fast asleep with her Exceed, Carla, cuddled against her. She withdrew, walked six feet forward, and glanced into Juvia’s curtained off room. Her comatose form was still visibly beaten, and Porlyusica confirmed that the water-wielding wizard had not yet regained consciousness. This concerned Lucy, but then again everyone else was also filled with worry; though none more than Gray. His bed was a mere six feet away from Juvia’s, a fact that would absolutely excite her if she were awake, and Lucy could see that the curtain separating the two was pulled open just wide enough for Gray to be able to see his abused admirer.

After wishing Juvia a gentle goodnight, Lucy quietly left her area and headed further down toward Natsu’s curtained off section. As she walked past Gray, she could just make out the shape of his body lying on his side facing toward the gap in the curtain she’d noticed while checking in on Juvia. She smiled to herself as she continued another six feet and entered the space that she’d been sharing with Natsu and Happy. The normally obnoxious cat and irrepressible boy were both still fast asleep. Lucy silently gushed about how Happy was nestled between Natsu’s arm and his torso before settling into her pallet on the floor on the right side of the bed. Though she’d only slept on the floor for one night so far, since her friends had been moved there to heal, she knew she'd be struggling to get comfortable until she somehow managed to pass out.

The next morning, Lucy was surprised to find herself waking up on an actual mattress. She sat up quickly and looked around in a slight panic as she realized she was laying in Natsu’s bed. She recounted the previous night in an attempt to figure out how she would've gotten there and blushed at a clouded memory of Natsu lifting her from the floor and delicately tucking her in. She leapt to her feet, blushing brilliantly now, and checked to make sure no one had seen her climbing out of the Dragon Slayer's sleeping spot. Relieved to see that all the drapes were still fully closed, Lucy walked from the area and made her way over to what was, at one point, the bar of the guild.

Before she’d even passed Erza’s room, which was the next occupied space on the right of Natsu's, Lucy could hear a commotion. As she passed the Fairy Queen’s recovery room, then Laxus’, and finally Master Makarov’s, the source of the noise came into view. Natsu and Gray were having a heated conversation, as usual, while Macao was trying desperately to get a word in.

“YOU THINK YOU CAN BUILD MORE STUFF THAN ME, YOU ICE THROWING PUNK?!”

“THAT’S RIGHT FIRE BREATHER! AT LEAST I CAN USE MY MAGIC TO ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS INSTEAD OF DESTROYING EVERYTHING!”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYIN’ TO SAY?!”

“DID YOU GET HIT TOO HARD IN THE HEAD OR SOMETHIN'?! FIRE BURNS STUFF DOWN YOU IDIOT!”

“THAT’S IT! YOU AND ME! LET’S GO, RIGHT NOW!”

Master Macao was now in between the quarreling comrades, trying to push them apart. Happy had gotten onto his shoulder and was pushing against Natsu’s face while yelling at him to calm down. Their combined efforts were of no affect as Gray and Natsu continued their yelling. The small crowd of guild members who’d come to investigate the racket had grown slightly as Elfman approached exclaiming how unmanly it is to be screaming before noon. Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka chuckled as they settled in to watch the show just behind the towering muscle man.

Suddenly, Lucy heard the sound of fast approaching footsteps from behind her. As she was turning to see who it was, she caught a glimpse of scarlet rushing past toward the bickering rivals. In the span of only a few seconds, the bellowing voices of disagreement had morphed into cries of both fear and pain as a tired, beaten Erza Scarlett held one ear of each boy in her hands. She had yanked them high enough that they were forced to stand on their tiptoes to avoid detachment.

“Could you two be any more predictable?! Not only have you ignored Porlyusica’s instruction of remaining bedridden until the end of the week, but you also have no regard for those of us who are trying to rest! Are you going to quiet down and behave? Or do I need to go higher?”

Through tears and gritted teeth, the rambunctious young wizards let out a panicked, but hushed “We’ll behave Erza.” The onlookers laughed in unison at this display, and Master Macao let out a visible sigh of relief. Lucy smiled as Erza released the captive ears and gave her a small wave as she made her way back to her bedchamber. The hall fell silent once more with the exit of it’s most feared member, and Macao took this opportunity to regain what little control he had over the members of Fairy Tail.

“Alright everyone,” he declared with a shaking, but authoritative tone, “we still have a lot of work to do to get Magnolia back to it’s former glory. Bickslow, Max, and Laki go ahead and meet the Council team at the front of the city. You’ve made some great progress there already! Keep up the good work!”

As the trio made their way toward the exit, Lucy could hear Max and Laki discussing their shared interest in continuing work with the members of the squad they’d met while Bickslow and his ‘babies’ were singing: “We’re the cleaning team who’s rebuilding dreams!” very off-key. She let out a sigh once they’d left. The truth is that she missed being social. With most of her close friends being hospitalized and Levy being out of town, the only socializing she had was random conversations with Samuel spread throughout the day and repeatedly telling Virgo she wasn’t going to punish her. Not to mention, this was the third day that Jet and Droy had been gone to investigate a dark guild in Oshibana, and no one had heard anything from them.

“Lucy?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry! What’s up, Macao?”

“Can’t you at least call me: Master Macao?”

“Ummm….”

“Anyway, Samuel is already on site working on the foundation of your buildings. You can go ahead and head that way.”

“Yes sir!”

Macao had just turned and began harassing Wakaba about finishing the female bathhouses, when Natsu walked over to Lucy with Happy floating beside him.

“Oh yeah! Let’s go Lucy!”

“Oh no you don’t.” Macoa had spun back around to face Natsu and was clearly feeling more confident now that Erza had already scolded the reckless fire user. “Do we need to get Erza back out here to drag you into bed? That goes for you too Gray.” Gray had just made his way over to join Natsu’s attempt at escaping the infirmary during Macao's surprisingly stern speech. With a disheartened: “No, sir.”, and a brief, quiet goodbye to Lucy the pair went back down the hall to their rooms with Happy trailing slightly behind to hide his laughter. Shaking her head, Lucy headed out to meet Samuel and help get the citizens of Magnolia’s homes back in livable conditions.

Meanwhile, despite the devastation in Fiore, the roads from Magnolia Town to Crocus were just as smooth as usual. This would be good news to any other passenger, but to Gajeel Redfox it was as if he’d spent the last twenty-four hours on a spinning top that was bouncing against a ragged cliffside. To him, the path to the kingdom's capitol was jolting and sickening. After an entire day's ride, the sudden stillness was welcomed because it felt as though he’d been saved from a seemingly fatal stomach illness.

“Gajeel, we aren't moving anymore. Are you still feeling motion sickness?” Panther Lily had gotten up from his seat and was examining his friend. Gajeel looked up through tear-filled eyes and held back his sickness.

“I…it…still f…eels…like we’re….m….m…moving…”

“Well, although we are not currently moving, Zaen will be heading back to Magnolia soon. Unless you've decided to return as well, we have to get out of the wagon now. Do you want me to carry you?”

“NO! This…damn…motion...sickness…won’t beat…ME..!”

Getting to his feet, Gajeel stumbled to the door of the carriage, and upon pulling the handle he nearly fell through the threshold onto the street.

“Does it feel better now that you're standing on solid ground?”

“Way better. The world’s finally stopped spinnin'. Let’s get to the library.”

“Oh, you’re definitely better. A full day of laying on a swaying floor sick to your stomach, but back on task as soon as you're on your feet.”

“Yeah, well like I told you Lily. Somethin’ doesn’t feel right. Come on.”

Panther Lily smirked and flew alongside his clearly love stricken friend. They bid farewell to Zaen at the city entrance and made their way up the busy street toward the library where Levy and Freed were working to translate the encrypted note. After walking for several minutes, the pair found themselves at the base of the stairs leading into the second largest library in all of Fiore.

Gajeel seemed to be deep in thought while they climbed toward the entrance. This didn’t surprise Lily; Levy and Gajeel had spent a great deal of time here together during the year they were working on the Magic Council while Fairy Tail was disbanded. Though he wasn’t sure which memory had pushed it’s way to the front of the brooding Iron Dragon Slayer’s mind, Lily knew this place was special to Gajeel.

After getting through the door, their sight was filled with the towering shelves of books and the scent of old parchment and ink; it was a welcoming, nostalgic experience. Looking up, they could see the different levels above that almost appeared to be infinite. The front desk was unmanned, most likely due to the bookkeeper putting away some returned items, so Panther Lily and Gajeel instinctively turned to their right and headed up the staircase to the third level. Once they reached the third floor, they walked out onto the balcony and entered the first room on the right. Levy had once declared this office to be the unofficial headquarters for the trio.

To their surprise, the cozy, memory-filled room was empty. Lily watched Gajeel, out of habit it seemed, walk to the desk at the back wall and rest his right hand on the chair back. He stood there for a moment looking down at the empty seat. After a minute, Panther Lily decided to give his friend some time alone and silently flew from the study and onto the balcony. He made the decision to find the kind, knowledgeable librarian who usually manned the front desk.

Scanning the floor he was currently on, and not seeing any sign of activity, Lily flew over the railing and up to the fourth level. Luckily, he spotted the petite, older lady filing away some very weathered books only a few feet away from where he’d risen. As he approached the matured woman, he cleared his throat to make his presence known to her.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Marigold?”, he said gently. She turned slightly so that her wrinkled face was looking toward him, but her small frame remained facing the shelf she was working with. When her eyes met Panther Lily’s, she grinned widely and climbed down from her stepladder.

“Well, well. If it isn’t my favorite Exceed! How are you doing my dear? And no Grumpy Gajeel with you?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you. Actually, Gajeel is just downstairs in the usual office.”

“Of course he is. I thought it was strange for Little Levy to be here without the two of you these last few days. I thought she’d gone and found herself a dashing, intelligent suitor in that Mr. Justine. Though, I’m happy that isn’t the case. I really should go and see the good captain while he’s here. I don’t imagine the two of you will be here much longer, will you?”

“We’re actually here to see how Levy’s doing, and maybe assist her with her research. Is there any particular reason you would assume we wouldn’t be staying long?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear already? Ms. McGarden and Mr. Justine finished their research this morning and left here not even ten minutes ago. They were in quite a rush to get back to their Inn and pack up their things.”

“We hadn’t heard. That’s wonderful news. I suppose we won’t be staying long after all. May I fly you down to the floor below so that Gajeel can say goodbye?”

“I’d be delighted!”

Lily grabbed Mrs. Marigold securely and took flight over the banister, slowly lowering back down to the third level. After setting down the fragile looking librarian, he led the way through the doorway into the warm study room. Gajeel was no longer standing beside the chair at the back of the room; he was looking through a stack of literature that was piled onto a return cart. When Mrs. Marigold saw the Dragon Slayer, she let out an excited squeaking noise and quickened her pace slightly over to him. Upon hearing the commotion, Gajeel turned from the book in his hands and saw the thick spectacled woman coming toward him; he returned the book to the pile and met her halfway for a reunion hug.

“That familiar frown of yours seems to be pointing even further down than usual; in fact, now that I have a good look at you, it looks like you’ve been through hell and back Captain Redfox.”

“Heh. Yeah, somethin’ like that Goldie. You been keepin’ an eye on the kid for me?”

“Well of course. Though that strapping young man that was accompanying her seemed suitable enough to do so.”

“Don’t you know not to judge a book by it’s cover by now? That loser…oh that’s funny?”

Mrs. Marigold laughed lightly. “It’s nice to see that some things truly don’t change. I’ve missed seeing you, Panther Lily, and Little Levy. As I just told Lily, Levy and Mr. Justine left here less than ten minutes ago, so I know this visit is about to end, but please do come back and see me again soon.” Lily placed his hand on the shoulder of the old woman and embraced her as she turned around. “You know I’ll fly him here myself if that’s what it takes ma’am.” She thanked him and then turned back to Gajeel. As they hugged, she whispered: “Go get the girl.”, and with that they took their leave.

Once Gajeel and Panther Lily reached the foot of the steps outside the library, they made a right and headed further into Crocus toward the inn that Levy had informed Lily she and Freed would be staying during their time in the city: Inn Bloom. Luckily, Gajeel knew exactly where to find the quirky lodge; Levy had pointed it out to him several times within the year they were working within the capitol together. She’d mentioned to him that it was a sweet-looking building with personality; to Gajeel, it was an obnoxious, yellow eyesore that was too decorated in brightly colored flowers. The memory of him watching the way her eyes lit up every time the pair had turned the very corner he and Lily were on made him smile broadly.

Upon entering the pollen-ridden inn, Panther Lily went to the front desk to speak with the grouchy-faced old timer sitting behind it. Gajeel glanced around the lounge area, and no matter where his eyes fell his sight was filled with even more plants than were outside the building. Growing slightly annoyed by this, he eventually just closed his eyes and waited for his friend to finish his conversation. When Lily turned around, he couldn’t help but mock his best friend who was standing in the very center of the lounge with his eyes shut and an agitated expression on his face.

“Gajeel, I have the room number. It’s just up the stairs here, last door on the left.”

“Well what the hell’re you standin’ around for? Let’s go.”

“Alright tough guy. I’m right behind you.”

The impulsive Iron Dragon Slayer led the way up the flight of stairs that was on the right of the reception desk. When he reached the top of the steps, he didn’t hesitate before heading forward to the end of the hall. About a quarter of the way down the corridor, Gajeel quickened his pace substantially.

“Lily. Somethin’ smells off.”

“What is it?”

Instead of answering, Gajeel broke into a sprint until he reached the last door on the left. He stood there sniffing the air around him until a battle-ready Lily caught up with him. As soon as he’d made it over to the door, Lily could see it was ajar. He listened intently to see if he could hear any kind of disturbance coming from inside, but it was eerily quiet. He turned to Gajeel who had been waiting for him to signal that it was clear. With a nod, the duo burst into the empty hotel room. It appeared as though Levy and Freed had been packing, but they didn’t finish. Clothes were folded on the futon to the left of the door, a suitcase was laying open on the console table, and everything else was in perfect order.

“What’d you smell?”

“I could smell Freed and Levy, but there were three other scents that I couldn’t recognize…and there was one other scent too.”

“What was it?”

“It was Droy. I could smell his blood.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s weird…I still smell all of them…like they’re in the room with us. It’s not a faded scent like we’d missed them. It’s like Levy is literally right in front of me.”

“She isn’t though Gajeel…even if she were somehow invisible, I would be able to hear her. We had to have literally just missed whatever went down. I’ll go check with Mr. Marigold downstairs to see if maybe he saw or heard something. I’ll be right back.”

Panther Lily jogged from the room, and Gajeel listened to his footsteps receding before he turned his attention back to the scene before him. His fists were clenched, his eyes watering with rage, and his throat sore with anticipation of a roar being released.

“Damn. It. I knew somethin’ was wrong…I…Levy’s…” He kicked the coffee table in front of him, sending the orange suitcase and it’s contents flying across the room. Lily reentered as the enraged wizard began heading to the door to the only bedroom in the suite. After studying the contents that were now littering the floor near the bedroom, Lily could see that this was Levy’s luggage. Guilt hit him hard, lingering as a pit in his stomach as he listened to his friend tearing apart the furniture in the other room. This didn’t make sense; she couldn’t be gone. The hotel owner advised him that Freed and Levy had only just gone up to their room to pack ten minutes ago. No one could’ve attacked them and smuggled them out of here without anyone being the wiser; it just wasn’t possible. Not to mention, Mr. Marigold assured Panther Lily that no one else had entered or checked out of the inn in that amount of time.

“I need you to go back to Magnolia and get backup. Gray, Laxus, I don’t care who. We’re gonna need help covering every inch of this damn city.”

“I’m not leaving you here alone. You were right, I should have stayed here with her. This is my fault.”

“Lily, shut up. This isn't your fault. I just need ya to go and get someone, and have Happy and Carla grab someone too. Drag that lazy, fire eating idiot and Erza out of bed if you have to. I’m stayin’ to coordinate with the Custody Enforcement Unit. Maybe they’ve heard of some weird things goin’ on.”

“Gajeel…I can’t just leave you here.”

“I need you to do this. You'll get there and back faster than a wagon.”

“...fine. I'll be back in less than a day. Make sure you stop by the front desk on your way out. Mr. Marigold said he has something for you, and please don’t do anything reckless until I return.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I’m serious Gajeel. I’m not losing you too.”

“Shut up, you won’t lose me. And we didn't lose her either. I swear when I get her back, I’m really gonna lock her up in a damn cell this time.”

“I know you will. Good luck. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Transforming back into his smaller form, Panther Lily took flight and went out the window toward Magnolia. This left Gajeel alone in the motel to figure out what happened to his comrades. He turned around and started walking toward the flipped table near the couch and froze. The scents he’d originally smelled so clearly were now slightly dissipated. He turned, even angrier than before, and looked at the window which was somehow no longer open.

Two days ago at the eastern entrance into Crocus:

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been here, huh Lily?” Levy said as she stepped out of the carriage. She took a few steps forward before gracefully spinning around to face Panther Lily and Freed as they unloaded the luggage. Lily smiled as he glided over to float next to her. “Indeed,” he agreed thoughtfully, “and it’s nice to be back. Even if one of us will only be here briefly.” Levy patted his head appreciatively and gestured for him to allow her to carry him. He placed her bright orange suitcase beside her and then lowered into her small hands just as Freed beckoned them forward into the city.

Turning right onto the first available side street, the trio walked and conversed for several minutes before Levy let out an excited gasp. Lily chuckled as he watched the ancient building that housed the Royal Library of Crocus come into view before them. When the stairs leading to the entryway were to their immediate right, Levy stopped and stood at the foot of them looking up at the architecture. Freed looked over his shoulder as she marveled at the sight of the place they’d be spending most of their time over the next week.

“Would you like me to get us checked into our room while you go inside and get a start on the research Levy?”

“That’d be wonderful Freed! Thank you so much!”

“Of course. I’ll drop off our belongings and make my way back here. Panther Lily, a pleasure traveling with you sir.”

“You as well Freed.” Lily watched as the Thunder Legion wizard continued up the street and rounded a corner before he freed himself from Levy’s soft grasp to meet her eye line.

“Did he say just say the two of you have ‘a room’? As in singular…one room?”

“It’s not what it sounds like! It’s more of a suite honestly. The bedroom is completely separated from the main room, so it’s really like having two individual rooms.”

“I’m just giving you a hard time Levy. Though, for my sanity as well as Gajeel’s I need to ask: Where will he be sleeping if there’s only the one bed?”

“Well….um, actually I offered to sleep on the couch so that Freed could have the bedroom. Only because I’m smaller than him and I figured he’d be more comfortable in there; and I also plan on waking up early to come here, so if he were in the common area I'd probably be waking him up every morning when I left. It just makes more sense, ya know?”

“Considerate as always. I think I’ll leave this information out of what I tell Gajeel when he inevitably starts interrogating me. He’d likely try to pick a fight with me for not starting one with Freed for putting you up on a couch.”

“You’re probably right about that. Thanks Lily.”

“Of course. Out of curiosity, which inn did you end up booking?”

“The most beautiful, sweet smelling inn in all of Crocus! ‘Inn Bloom’!”

“And the closest one to the library as well. Let’s hope that Freed’s nose isn’t as sensitive as mine or Gajeel’s. Passing by that building on a regular basis for a year was not the best experience for us.”

“Oh, I remember. Gajeel used to get so upset about the Dahlias planted outside. He said looking at them was worse than having Natsu shoot fire directly into his eyes. I always loved the colors of them though.”

“I’m happy you’re getting the opportunity to stay there. I hate to rush off, but I only had a short amount of time to make sure you were settled before Zaen has to head back to Magnolia. Also, I should really try to get back before the 'captain' wakes up and realizes we’re both gone. Please be careful while you’re here, and don’t be late getting back home.”

“We’ll be back at the end of the week. Macao was very insistent that we’re back by then to update him whether we get this letter translated fully or not. And don’t worry about me, I’ll be safe. I promise. Will you make sure Gajeel takes it easy while I'm gone?”

“I’ll do my best. We’ll see you when you get back. Good luck Levy.”

“Thanks, Lily. I’ll see you guys then.”

After watching her feline friend disappear back down the street, Levy ascended into the foyer of what was one of her favorite places in the entire world. Sitting behind the front desk before her, was the welcoming face of the elderly librarian Mrs. Elora Marigold. Levy skipped right up to the counter and greeted the woman, whose life she wished to replicate one day, with a kind smile.

“Hey Mrs. Marigold! Long time, no see.”

“Little Levy! What an evocative sight having you stroll through my door once again. Though, I don’t see the usual commanding stride of Captain Redfox and wonderful Panther Lily following in pursuit. That’s very strange.”

“Yeah, I guess it would be a little odd. We all came here almost every week for about a year after all. It seems so long ago now.”

“Indeed, it does. Now, what is it I can assist you with today dear?”

“Right! Well, I have this note that's in a language I’ve never seen before; which is really not something that I’m used to saying. I was hoping to find some kind of transcript to help translate it, but now that I’m here I’m not really sure where to start.”

“May I have a look at the script in question?”

“Oh, of course. Here ya go.”

Elora surveyed the page for a few minutes before grabbing her own parchment and began writing out a list. Levy watched her in silent awe as Mrs. Marigold’s hand continued to glide gracefully across the paper. The vast amount of knowledge that this kindly woman held within her petite frame amazed the fellow book lover. After a few minutes, Elora ceased her scribbling and handed the mysterious message back to Levy.

“Give me just a little time here my dear. I’ve compiled a list of works that I believe may help you get some answers. This is indeed an ancient, long forgotten language...I know I've seen it in a book somewhere...though it's been some time, so it’s not likely that everything on my list will be of any use to you, but I’ll bring everything to your headquarters on the third floor.”

“Thank you so much! When my guild mate gets here we'll be right up!”

The tiny bookkeeper set off up the staircase with a cart floating behind her, leaving the equally compact mage alone in the entrance hall. Levy decided to make use of her time by studying the gibberish in her hands again. During the ride to Crocus, Levy had notated symbols that looked similar to one another and she also had notes for some of the markings that looked identical to words from other languages. She had no way of knowing if any of it was actually going to be useful or not. Even though she knew her way around lesser known languages, this was one she couldn't seem to recognize at all.

Freed arrived after about ten minutes of Levy staring determinedly at the piece of paper. He nearly had to take it from her in order to get her to stand up, but she finally refolded it and they headed up the stairs to Levy's favorite office. Once they'd reached the proper floor, Freed commented on the impressive amount of literature that the gargantuan reading hall housed. Though Levy was distracted by the memories flooding into the forefront of her mind, she managed to voice her agreement.

Leading her temporary partner into the study, Levy felt a wave of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she began to recall the last time she was here. It was very early in the morning on her final day living in the city. Fairy Tail was being reassembled, and it was the last time she was going to be visiting the library for a long time, so she'd decided to sneak out of her lodging and spend the morning there alone. The sun had not risen yet, but she went through the dimly lit streets until she'd found her way to the headquarters, which was also lit softly at this time of day. She'd gone to sit at the desk against the back wall, like she normally did, and decided to write to Lucy again. Anytime something of significance had happened, Levy always wrote a letter to her friend, though most of the time she didn't send them to her.

Levy had written about her eagerness to have the guild back together and how she couldn't wait to see everyone after such a long time. She'd told Lucy about how much she was going to miss being able to be in the Royal Library almost every week, and how she'd hoped that her and Gajeel would grow even closer despite not being on the Magic Council anymore. Just as she'd written the last sentence, she felt the familiar pressure of a hand on her chair. She'd quickly turned around to look behind her where she saw a very tired-looking Gajeel resting his hand on the back of the chair, and then, in a panic, turned back around to hide the letter.

“What're ya writin' kid?”

“Oh, it's nothing,”, she said awkwardly, “just another letter to Lucy.”

“Ya know we'll get to Magnolia before that will right?”

“Yeah, I'm not going to mail it. It's really more of a habit.”

“So, you sneak out of your room and come here by yourself, in the dark, just to write a fake note to someone you're gonna see in a day?”

“Well...actually I just wanted to say goodbye to our headquarters. There's no telling when we'll get to come back. That's probably really dorky, right?”

“Heh. Only a little. We've come here just about every week this past year, ya know. If ya'd said somethin' we coulda stopped by on our way out of town.”

“I know, but I didn't want to rush it...and I wanted to let you and Lily sleep in too, so sneaking out seemed easier.”

“Easier, huh? Don't ya know what happens to a rebel soldier who puts themselves in danger by sneaking out of camp in the middle of the night?”

“No, what happens to them?”

“Their captain has to track them down, bring 'em back to the campsite, and lock 'em up. So, you can either get up and march back to camp with me or I can pick ya up and carry ya back on my shoulder.”

“Alright, alright. There's no need for any lifting. Let's get you back to bed 'captain'.”

“What was that? Was that sarcasm comin' from you soldier? That's it...”

Before Levy had the time to react, Gajeel had lifted her out of the chair, and slung her over his shoulder. She'd let out a somewhat silenced squeal in the process, which made the exhausted Dragon Slayer chuckle mischievously as he started walking to the door. Once he'd reached the exit of the study with his small friend still draped over his shoulder, Gajeel paused and placed her down gently in front of him. There was a moment of hushed laughter between the two before Gajeel brushed some hair out of Levy's face. This had made her blush brilliantly, which made Gajeel smirk before they made their way back to their rooms.

Levy was snapped back into the current time when Freed placed his hand on her shoulder. She gave a start in response, and spun around to meet his eyes. He appeared to be concerned, which made Levy feel chagrined. She smiled self-consciously and then made her way over to the communal table that Mrs. Marigold had moved into the room upon the request of Panther Lily when they'd first visited after joining the Custody Enforcement Unit.

“Is everything alright, Ms. McGarden?”

“Ms. McGarden? Freed, we've know each other for years. Just call me Levy.”

“Right. Well, is everything alright Levy?”

“Of course. I was just...well it's not important. So here's the letter,” she said as she placed the page on the table, “and Mrs. Marigold, the librarian, is gathering some materials for us to use to translate it. I'm going to step outside on the balcony really quick.”

Without waiting for a response from Freed, Levy exited the room and bumped into something sturdy and tall. She was knocked off of her feet from the force, and when she looked up to see what she'd run into she saw a hand stretched out to help her up. She took it uneasily and rose to her feet. The man standing before her was very handsome and well dressed. His midnight violet hair was slightly curled and hung down to his elbows, his silver eyes were studying Levy with an alluring intensity.

“You alright, love?”

“Um...y...yeah. I'm okay. Sorry for running into you just then.”

“My fault entirely. Afraid I wasn't paying much attention to where I was walking. I lost my companions on one of these blasted levels, and now I can't seem to find them. Truly, tell me you're unharmed.”

“I'm okay really. Do you need some help finding your friends?”

“Oh, no. I couldn't inconvenience you like that.”

“It's no trouble at all. I know this place better than most people, and it's the least I could do after face planting into your...well you.”

“Well love, if you insist. What kind of man would I be to turn away such a gorgeous young woman?”

“Who, me? No, I...mean I'm not...thank you.”

“Splendid. I've just realized I haven't introduced myself. My name is Alessio Bault, at your service.”

“It's nice to meet you. My name's Levy McGarden. So, when you lost track of your friends what was it you were researching? Just so that I have an idea of areas they could be in.”

“Interesting. Well, we were trying to dig up some information on the founding of some of the older cities within Fiore, and we'd been pointed to the eleventh floor by the charming bookkeeper. We managed to find a few novels, but none on Oshibana, so we split up. That was quite some time ago.”

“Let's see here...Oshibana origins would fall under a few categories...the eleventh floor would give you general information on the cities of Fiore, but if you were looking for something specific then you may need to look on the fourteenth because that's where you'd find founding member registries, charters, and similar documents.”

“What an incredibly beautiful mind you have Ms. McGarden. It's astounding that such knowledge can fit within that petite frame. I shall begin my investigation there.”

“Oh, did you want me to accompany you?”

“You've done enough, love. I deeply appreciate your insight. Good day.”

With a soft kiss on Levy's right hand, the gentlemanly stranger made his was back to the stairwell and began his ascent. She watched him for a time, his stride so graceful it was as if he were performing a dance. Once he'd glided from her sight, she turned around and tried to remember why she was standing near the banister. When she couldn't seem to remember why, she turned back toward the office.

Before she'd reached the door, Levy heard the familiar footfall of the senior librarian approaching. She turned to see that Mrs. Marigold had found a decent amount of books to assist her and Freed. A wave of excitement came over Levy as she held the door open for the floating cart piled with works. Once the cart had found it's place next to the door, the return cart that had been left by the last person to vacant the study floated out of the room and joined Elora. Levy thanked her for her assistance and then she closed the door to start working on identifying the language used in the transcription.

Levy and Freed divvied up the mountainous stack of books; Levy taking languages originating within Fiore, and Freed tracking those languages to origin cities. They'd divided the room in half to keep their findings separated until they'd each reached an end to their research. They both also had their own bulletin boards to pin notes to that detailed any common symbols between languages, any language that showed potential to lead to the one in question, and where they originated from. It was clear that this was going to be a tedious and time consuming process, so the duo opted to continue their work through the first night. Though, a little after midnight Levy was beginning to feel drained from the journey there, so Freed advised her to go to the inn and rest and assured her that he would also retire after he finished the book he was currently sifting through.

Once she'd made her way down the stairs outside of the building, Levy felt as though she was being watched. She looked around at the empty street before her and then turned to see the equally empty street behind her, and after seeing nothing out of the ordinary she trudged on toward 'Inn Bloom'. After making it about halfway down the path, she heard the sound of footsteps and spun around once again. Just as before, there was nothing there, so she reluctantly rotated back to the correct direction and let out a terrified scream.

Standing before her was none other than Alessio Bault, the man she'd bumped into inside the library earlier that afternoon. Somehow the moon was accenting his sharp jawline and his shining eyes in the most flattering way possible. For a moment, she thought she'd noticed a mark near his left eye, but she couldn't recall due to the way his dark hair seemed to light up in the darkness. The fear that had taken her over had suddenly ceased and was replaced by embarrassment.

“Good evening, Ms. McGarden. I apologize for the scare. I was just out for a midnight stroll.”

“Um...hi again Alessio. It's no problem at all...but you're walking in the middle of the night?”

“Indeed. I'm an insomniac I'm afraid. I've never been one to sleep at a conventional time, but I've always found that the witching hours of the night are the best to get work done. Wouldn't you agree, love?”

“Normally, I really would agree; however, tonight I'm pretty spent. I was just on my way to my inn to get some sleep. Did you find you're friends earlier?”

“I did. Thank you again for your assistance, love.”

“Oh, um...not a problem. Can...can I ask you something?

“I believe you just did, but I suppose I could answer another query for such a lovely young woman. Ask me anything.”

“W...why do you keep calling me that?”

“Calling you what? _Love_.”

“That...you keep calling me 'love'...why?”

“Would you believe me if I said it's because I fancy you?”

“You...but y...you don't even know me.”

“That's not entirely true. I know that you are thoughtful, willing to lend a hand to those in need, you're just as stunningly gorgeous on the inside as you are on the outside, and you have the most beautiful mind.”

“...um...I...you...uh...I'm very flattered, but uh...I should be getting to sleep.”

“Of course, love. Will you do me the kindness of answering a question for me now before you go?”

“Oh, sure. What's up?”

“I appreciate that. You just don't seem very interested in me, and, though I am humble, I am also aware of the usual affect that I have on women.”

“Is there...a question...?”

“Apologies. I suppose I am only curious as to whether or not you already have love in your life, Ms. McGarden.”

“Wha...I...well...um, you see...it's j...ha...ye-yes...I do. I'm very sorry.”

“No need to apologize, love. Poor timing on my part, I suppose. Please, pardon me for taking up so much of your time this evening. Sleep well.”

With a courteous bow, Alessio continued on his course in the opposite direction of Levy. Forgetting what she was currently doing, again, Levy stared after the charming stranger until he was no longer in sight. She began to wander down the street in a haze, toward a destination she was no longer aware of. It wasn't until she turned the corner at the end of the street that she remembered where she was heading.

The flower-covered inn came into view and though Levy felt as if she could lay down on the filthy street and fall asleep she couldn't help but to stand there a moment and take in the scenic splendor. After a few minutes of admiring the moonlit garden, she made her way inside the quiet building. Mr. Marigold was wide awake behind the front desk and reading what looked like a book of sonnets. He glanced up at her as she entered and extended his arm out to her with a room key in hand. When she'd taken the key and thanked him, Mr. Marigold bid her a good night and then returned to his poetry.

Levy surveyed the room number carved into the iron key, L1-11, as she climbed the stairs. 'L1' identified the level the room would be on, and '11' would be the number found on the door. The main level of the building did not have any rooms on it, so the first level applies to the second story of the hotel. She conquered the first flight of steps and then walked sleepily down the hallway where she found room 11 at the end on the left. She'd put the key into the lock when she felt the familiar sensation of eyes on her back. She pondered turning around to investigate, but decided to lock herself inside the security of the suite instead.

After ensuring the door had closed behind her, she locked it at once. It was only her first day on this job, but she was starting to feel as though someone else was interested in knowing what the letter addressed to Master Makarov contained. Levy was aware that she was becoming forgetful when she spoke with the smooth talking stranger, Alessio Bault, so she'd decided to play it safe from now on and only travel with Freed. She figured if he were there that would at least save her from the embarrassment of being charmed. This thought brought forth a theory: maybe Alessio was trying to use some sort of Charm Magic on Levy in order to compel her tell him everything she discovers. Though, she was still unsure of why she seemed to lose her train of thought after each conversation with the bewildering admirer.

Levy sat on the sofa in the dark for several minutes contemplating a strategy to not only figure out the magic power that Alessio possesses, but to also find out if he was truly trying to steal the interpretation from her and Freed. Without knowing much about the suspicious man, there wasn't much that she could plan for. She waited up for Freed for as long as she could manage, but after an hour she had fallen fast asleep on the couch.

When she awoke the next morning, it was nearing the noon hour. She leapt from the surprisingly comfortable futon and rushed to the window. The street below was busy with Capitol Construction wizards heading to the castle to make repairs and the various residents who were starting to get back to their normal routines. Levy knocked on the bedroom door, but there was no answer from within. She delicately turned the handle and entered the simplistic room. To her surprise, Freed was not inside; and it looked as if he hadn't slept there the previous evening.

She rummaged through her suitcase for a change of clothes, and, after finding a pair of pale blue pants and a pastel yellow crop top, quickly dressed. As she was leaving, she grabbed the room key and secured the door behind her. Turning around, she glanced around the abandoned hallway nervously before rushing down the stairs. Although she nearly fell down the last couple of steps, she managed to regain her balance and exited through the entrance way and stepped onto the bustling sidewalk outside. Levy reached the library within minutes, and even though she was out of breath from running the whole way there, she continued her hurried pace through the lobby and up the steps to the third floor study.

Forcing her way through the door, she nearly sent Freed to his grave as he fell out of his chair in horror. Breathless, she closed the door behind her and helped her shocked partner up off the floor.

“You really frightened me there, Levy. Is everything okay?”

“I'm so sorry Freed! I overslept and you weren't at the inn and I got worried.” She'd begun writing on a piece of parchment, which she slid across the table with such an intensity that Freed was hesitant to pick it up. Levy motioned at the note desperately, so he carefully grabbed it and read it over. His eyes widened and he immediately began creating an enchantment on their room so that only those within could hear what was said just as his clever ally instructed.

“What's this about? We're being watched?”

“I think so. Yesterday, I ran into the same man twice. Once just outside the door here and again when I was going back to the inn. Each time after we talked, I lost track of what I was doing. It felt like my mind went blank.”

“It could be some sort of Mind Manipulation magic. It's common for someone under a mind exploitation to be rendered confused...this is no good. We need to get word to the guild and warn them that we aren't the only ones who want to know this letter's contents.”

“I agree, but there's no way for us to get a message there soon enough. We're only here until the end of the week, and anything we send would get there only slightly before us.”

“We're on our own then. From now on, if we go anywhere, we do it as a team. We can't chance one of us being abused by this unknown foe.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I think he might have a team here too. The first time we bumped into each other he mentioned that he'd been separated from his friends.”

“Now that you mention it, someone did stumble in here early this morning. It's why I ended up remaining here overnight. He was an odd looking fellow; bald, short, but extremely fit...and a strange tattoo down the center of his head. Not to mention, he had an accent that was incredibly difficult to understand. Does this sound like the man you've encountered?”

“No, that doesn't sound anything like him. Well, he did have an accent, but he spoke very clearly, but he told me his name is Alessio Bault. He's tall with a full head of dark purple hair and silver eyes. OH MY GOSH!”

“What is it?!”

“His eyelid! His left eyelid had a weird mark on it! That must be something I was meant to forget. It was almost like a guild mark, but I've never seen someone choose to put one over their eyelid before..here I'll draw it...yeah it looked something like this.” She turned the paper toward him sharply, and he examined what appeared to be the form of a ghost or wraith with the cycles of the moon.

“It doesn't look familiar to me. The other gentleman's mark was different. I'll draw it up for you.” He took the paper that Levy had sketched on and began to make his own drawing underneath hers. “This is the mark of the man I encountered.” It was a rune shape of what appeared to be the head of a goblin with a tall horn attached.

He showed Levy the drawing and continued, “They could be different guilds, but if this is the case, then we can only assume they're unregistered dark guilds. We would know of them if they were actually registered. This isn't good. We need to remain within the confines of this room for as long as we can these next few days. The sooner we can figure out what this says, the sooner we can leave.”

“Right! Okay, let's get to work then!”

With a new sense of urgency, the pair wasted no time in diving back into the stacks of assorted literature from the day before. Freed spent the first hour of the new day going over his incredibly detailed notes from his night of silent studying. He and Levy were able to cross reference his findings with her own notes from the day prior. Even though it felt like they were no where near close to being able to translate the text, this didn't discourage them from pouring over book after book the next several hours. Just as they were about to break for a meal, Levy found something intriguing. It was a novel entitled: _The Forgotten Languages of Magnolia Towne._

After spending nearly an hour reading it cover to cover, she discovered a small section that detailed the lives of the merchants families that had originally set up shop in the town. It was documented that they'd created their own language called 'Grandiflorian' in order to communicate amongst each other without having to worry about any of the passersby understanding what they were communicating. In this compact section, there was a partial alphabet and vocabulary list provided. Some of the symbols looked incredibly familiar to her, so she cross-examined the note with the limited list of letters and phrases; letting out a joyous cheer in response to her findings.

“Freed! I have something!”

“What did you find?”

“Look at the characters on this page and then look at the letter.”

After scanning the page, Freed's eyes widened dramatically. “Levy...we have enough here to piece some of this together!”

“I know! I can't believe we found it so fast!”

“I wouldn't say it was that fast. It's well after 3 a.m., after all.”

“What? Wow! I didn't even realize how long we'd been here.”

“Time flies when doing things you love, but now there is something we need to discuss.”

“Oh...sure. What's up?”

“I think it would be beneficial for only one of us to know the translation. If that Alessio character really can get inside our minds with ease, then we need to be prepared when we leave the protection of my enchantment.”

“That makes sense. So, how do we decide who gets to be the one to know what it says?”

“Well, on the one hand he's already ventured into your mind on two separate occasions. Then again, his supposed ally knows that I stayed in here all through the night last night, so they may already believe that I will know the message.”

“Mhm...so, who do you think would be the better option then?”

“Hm...it is a difficult decision, but I think it'd be best for you to be the one to deliver the message. This is your job after all. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes. I can do this.”

“I know you can. We'll take added precautions as well. Go ahead and transcribe what you can and we'll acquire a carriage back to Magnolia at first light.”

“Sure thing! You should rest. It may take me awhile still to make sense of what's written since we don't have a full alphabet to work with.”

“That's a good idea. I'll sleep over here, so if I don't wake up by the time you're finished, then please be sure to wake me. Also, work diligently. We need to get out of this city as soon as possible, and it would be in our best interest to get back to the inn before the sun rises to gather our belongings.”

“Will do!”

Freed laid on his back on the left side of the table that Levy was working on. Within a few minutes, Levy could hear light snoring coming from him. Turning back to the letter in front of her, she knocked into a book on the table and, in a hushed panic, managed to catch it before it fell to the ground. Looking quickly to the left, Levy saw that Freed's eyes were still closed and she could still hear his gentle breathing. Relieved, she took in a deep breath to get refocused and began working on the mysterious language. The Grandiflorian alphabet was not as helpful as Levy had originally thought it was going to be. There were still many blanks to be filled. She wrote out what she knew was correct, and then tried to make sense of the mess before her. The message now read:

'Makarov,

Ra**n *ai* ha* fa***n. ***** rai*h ***r**rd *i** ***n *ak* *h*ir **** again** y**r g*i*d. G***in H*rn i* *n*y *h* **ginning.

\- I.D.”

Seeing the confusing jumble of letters on the page, Levy sank back into her seat and let out a discouraged sigh. She knew that time was of the essence, so after shaking her head clear of doubt she went to work to fill in the many blanks. She reread the entire 'Merchants of Magnolia' section of the book multiple times trying to make sure she hadn't missed anything else. When that was a dead end, she finished the words in the message that she could guess. It was an exhausting task, but by about 6:30 a.m. Levy had guessed what the final interpretation read. Before Freed had woken up, she scribbled the answer down on a sheet of paper and placed it into an envelope.

Finally, at nearly seven in the morning, she woke up her exhausted partner and informed him that she had cracked it. The pair straightened up the study and placed everything they'd looked over in random piles on the return cart so that there was no way of indicating where they'd started and ended. By 7:30, Levy and Freed had left the library and were stepping inside the entrance to 'Inn Bloom'. Freed had marched past the front desk and was heading for the stairs when Levy quickly approached the disgruntled innkeeper. She handed the envelope to Mr. Marigold and asked that he get it to Gajeel Redfox at Fairy Tail, to which he irritably agreed.

When she hit the steps leading up to the second story of the building, Levy ran to catch up to Freed who was nearly at the end of the corridor already. Once she was standing beside him, he unlocked the door and they entered together. As soon as they were through the door, Freed rushed to the bedroom to collect his things while Levy grabbed her suitcase beside the coffee table. She'd only just placed it on the table when she heard an alarming thud followed by what sounded like Freed exclaim.

Turning toward the bedchamber, she let out a gasp. Standing in the doorway was a large, bearded man who was holding a beaten Freed by the collar of his shirt. Freed lifted his head to look at Levy, showing off a fresh gash across his forehead, and shouted, in a somewhat slurred manner, for her to run away. Although everything in her body told her to free her Fairy Tail comrade, she knew she didn't have the time to argue with him, so she took off out of the room where she was met in the hallway by a bald, unnaturally buff man who was only slightly taller than her. He looked at her with an unsettling grin on his face that made her feel squeamish.

Levy pushed passed the creepy stranger and ran toward the stairs. Before she'd gotten to the staircase, Alessio emerged from room number 3 and smoothly subdued her. She struggled against his grasp with all of her might and called out for help. When no one else came from their rooms to help her, she used her Solid Script Magic to form grease, which she kicked onto her captor's arms. Once she felt the stranger's grip loosen, she took advantage of the opportunity by pulling her arm down hard and sprinting toward the stairs yet again.

Just as she'd almost made it to the first step, the disturbing man she'd first encountered in the corridor put his arm around her small neck and pulled her backward toward the room at the end. When they were going inside the room, Levy saw the frame of Gajeel at the top of the staircase. She called out to him, and watched as his pace quickened in her direction. She felt a sense of relief knowing that he was coming to help her and Freed.

The horrifying man, who was still holding Levy in a headlock, seemed to be amused by her cries for help. He leaned his balded head close to hers, causing her to pull away.

“Ye do know 'e can' 'ear ye righ'?”

“What are you...talking about you creep? Of course he can.”

“O', ye don' believe me, eh? Tha's alrigh'. Ye'll see.”

Levy listened for Gajeel outside the room, and heard the hushed tones of him and Panther Lily just before they burst in. She called out to them, but just as the fit, hairless man had warned her neither of them acknowledged that they'd heard or seen her. She stared in absolute shock as her two closest friends glanced around as if she weren't standing right in front of them.

“What'd you smell?” Panther Lily asked.

“I could smell Freed and Levy...” Gajeel explained to Lily.

Levy cried out once again: “Gajeel! I'm here!”. As if the realization of being invisible wasn't difficult enough, the grip around her neck tightened as the bald man began to laugh at her.

“What was it?” Lily continued.

“It was Droy. I could smell his blood.”

Levy's eyes filled with tears as she strained against the incredibly strong man who was detaining her. “...Droy's...blood?”

“O' tha' must'a been tha' round plan' bloke. Gave 'im a proper beatin', I did.” The towering, bearded assailant who was holding Freed retorted. This caused the arm around Levy's neck to loosen it's hold as he laughed.

Gajeel continued his explanation to Panther Lily. “…like they’re in the room with us. It’s not a faded scent like we’d missed them. It’s like Levy is literally right in front of me.”

She took this opportunity to get free from her attacker and made for Gajeel. She was stopped by Alessio once again who'd pinned both arms behind her back firmly. She screamed in frustration for Gajeel or Lily to see or hear her. She received no reply again, and she watched as the Exceed left the room. Gajeel clenched his fists and then suddenly kicked the console table across the room. Her clothes flew through the air and scattered near the bedroom door where the Iron Dragon Slayer was heading.

Alessio leaned down to Levy's ear and instructed her to cooperate with him before he allowed his comrades to dispose of the clueless duo. She weighed out the options, and after concluding that an ambush would lead to her friends being injured, or worse, she began to cry. Through tears, she agreed to be compliant as long as he assured her that no one would hurt the infuriated mage and his most trusted friend. Alessio agreed calmly, and watched as Gajeel sent Lily away through the window. The team of brutal men took this opportunity to exit with Freed and Levy out the same way. As if to mock the already angered Gajeel, the twisted hairless man closed the window behind them.

When the window had been shut, the towering bearded man picked Freed up and flung him over his bulging shoulder before leaping away from building to building. The stout, shaved aggressor went to grab Levy, but Alessio stopped him and instructed him to go ahead. While his back was turned to the small mage, she tried to stealthily get back to the window to get Gajeel's attention; however, the suspected mind reader turned around before she'd made it three feet away from him. In one swift movement, he'd spun around and grasped her forearm firmly, but not aggressively.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you, love. It may look as though I have control over my comrades, but if either of them were to look back and see you trying to escape I wouldn't be able to prevent them from harming you. Spare me the pain of having to endure yours.”

“Stop acting chivalrous!” She yelled indignantly while smacking his arm in frustration, “Taking someone against their will is not something a gentleman does, so drop the act. And stop calling me 'love'!”

“I know you're upset, lo...Levy, but all we want is to know what was written in that letter that was addressed to your Guild Master. Once we know, we'll gladly let you and your ally go.”

“And what about the other two you've abducted?”

“You really are quite impressive. I assume you're referring to the “Droy” individual that the mangy, table kicker mentioned. Yes, once we have the translation, you, your overnight study partner, and the two being held in Oshibana will all be allowed to return to your homes.”

“You know, you like to compliment me a lot on my intelligence, but I can see now that it's just part of your pretense. If we were really going to be allowed to leave, then you and your brutish friends wouldn't have gone through the trouble of ambushing us.”

“I can assure you, love, that everything I've said has reflected my true thoughts. You will all be free to go once we have acquired the knowledge you or your guild mate possess. Now, if you were to provide me with this information now, then this would all end and no one would need to be harmed any further.”

“Sorry, I can't help you.”

“I see...then please forgive me for this.”

Alessio had swept Levy off of her feet and gently draped her over his shoulder. Once he'd secured her by pressing his arm against the back of her legs, he kicked off of the landing and went to catch up to his colleagues. They ran until they were outside of the city of Crocus, where the trio of hijackers regrouped and moved more casually toward the nearest mountain base. Twenty minutes of silent walking later, and they'd reached the summit where, parked behind a grouping of jagged boulders, a flying ship and a fourth team member was waiting for them.

“Tasde, set the man down o'er there and start loadin' the supplies. Don't ye go thinkin' ye're off the hook either Kyo, ye bald-headed dwarf. All o' this needs te be loaded and put away PROPERLY. It's nearly a half day's journey te Oshibana and I will not be allowin' clutter on me ship.”

The unshaven giant, Tasde, tossed Freed's body down near the vessel and began grabbing barrels of alcohol to store. Kyo, the disturbing man with the smooth head, grabbed a couple of crates and shoved past his demanding associate onto the ship. Alessio placed Levy next to Freed softly and then bound her wrists together.

“Listen to me carefully, love. Do not provoke Captain Cathal. He is not the kind of man who will show you mercy if you do.”

Levy nodded, but didn't speak. Once her admirer had gone to converse with the captain, she turned her head slightly to Freed.

“Freed,” she whispered, “are you awake?”

“...yes.”

“Stay down, they need to think you're still knocked out; otherwise, they'll bind your hands too.”

“Understood.”

“One of us needs to run and find Gajeel. He needs to know that these guys have Jet and Droy locked away somewhere in Oshibana.”

“...we can't Levy. We're outnumbered, and with my injury...it just isn't plausible.”

“I know, but I have a plan. Once the other two come back out to grab more supplies and then go back on the ship, that will just leave the captain and Alessio out here with us. Since they're more focused on playing catch up, you can use your Dark Ecriture to form wings and fly back into Crocus.”

“I'm not leaving you here alone.”

“Yes you are. If you don't, then there's a good chance that neither of us will make it back to Magnolia. I'll be fine until you guys catch up to us, but they're coming back out now. Please do this Freed. This is our only chance.”

“...alright, on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“If I'm going to be leaving you with these scoundrels, then I'm going to place an enchantment on you. It will act as a barrier around your mind so that they won't reach the translation too easily.”

“Okay, just hurry and create it. As soon as you're done, take off. Don't look back, don't slow down, just get to Gajeel and tell him everything.”

Freed closed his eyes and as discretely as he could began creating an enchantment on Levy. She watched as Tasde and Kyo each picked up some heavy looking freight and then began heading back to the ship at a slower pace than before. A minute passed and the two were both nearly at the top of the ramp onto the flying vessel. Freed opened his eyes and looked up at Levy. She could tell that his head wound was severe by how drowzy he appeared to be, but she had to have hope that he could make it back to Crocus.

“The enchantment is complete...I should warn you...should they try to find the translation through Mind Manipulation, it will likely cause some discomfort. Stay strong, Levy.”

“Don't worry about me. I'll see you guys real soon.”

Immediately after Tadse and Kyo had walked out of sight once more, and it was confirmed that the two remaining villains were facing the other direction, Freed cast his Dark Ecriture to create wings for himself and kicked off the ground with all his might. He soared back toward the capitol city with as much speed as he could muster. Despite Levy's instruction to not look back, he was suspicious that there didn't seem to be anyone following him. When he glanced behind him, he saw that the clever Script Magic user had created a wall of smoke to temporarily distract the would-be pursuers. He redirected his gaze to his goal, and pushed through the throbbing in his head to make himself move faster.

Once Freed had disappeared into the distance, Levy released the smoke screen that was lingering around her and the two assailants. Just as the spell had dispersed, Captain Cathal stormed over to the restrained Fairy Tail wizard and, without any hesitation, struck her across the face. She let out a resistant cry of pain, which caused Alessio to take a small, tentative step forward before he refrained from interfering. Cathal scowled at Levy as the force of his hit knocked her onto her side, and, acting once again out of instinct, he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to gasp for breath.

The furious pilot turned to Alessio and ordered him to load the writhing captive onto the ship. He left in an outrage to prepare for their departure, leaving Levy and the sympathetic mind reader alone.

“Up you get, love. For your sake, I hope that exploit was worth it. The next eight hours aboard his ship will not be pleasant for you.”

“...it...w...was.”

“I see. You have faith in this Gajeel from the inn...please believe me when I tell you that he will not reach you before we acquire the inscription, which I had planned to do painlessly on this voyage to ensure your release once we landed in Oshibana. However, now that you've upset Cathal...he will likely speak with the Master about extending your stay until he's convinced he's gotten even with you. What he will have in mind will be unbearably agonizing for you...and I will have no choice but to allow it.”

Levy struggled to form anymore words for a rebuttal, so she remained silent as Alessio softly lifted her abused body from the ground and carried her onto the aircraft. She tried to inspect the inside of the craft as she was carried through it, but her small frame was still reeling from mistreatment and she was having a difficult time concentrating on anything else. It wasn't until she'd been set down that she was able to focus on her surroundings.

She'd been placed onto a cot inside the only holding cell she could make out in the dimly lit ship. With no windows in sight, the already dull cage felt even more isolating. She watched as the regal wizard locked the door behind him, and with a brief, uneasy glance back at her he flowed back down the way they'd just come from. She waited until she felt the ship take off, and then began to sob as she lay there alone in the dark clutching her wounded flesh.

Back in Crocus, Gajeel Redfox was rushing down the crowded streets toward the eastern entry in response to a report of an injured man being found by a visiting wizard just inside the city gates. He'd read the note that Levy left him with the translated message, and after leaving 'Inn Bloom' he happened upon an acquaintance from his days on the Custody Enforcement Unit who shared this information with him. Gajeel was desperate to find out if this hurt individual could be Freed, or even Droy whose blood he had smelled for a short time inside Levy's room in the pollen-ridden hotel.

To his shock, and relief, he recognized the full head of green hair that belonged to the fellow Fairy Tail member: Freed Justine. Without any concern for the crowd of onlookers, Gajeel shoved his way through and knelt beside his defeated comrade. He noticed that Freed's face was badly bruised and there was an unsightly cut on the upper left side of his head that was bleeding. He was starting to worry about Levy even more now, but his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“I was just about to head back to Magnolia when I found him like this.”

When Gajeel turned to face the source of the voice, he was surprised to see another one of his guild mates standing next to him.

“What the hell are you doin' here, Mest?”

“I was sent here by Macao to, as he put it: 'use my Council privilege to get more members of the Reconstruction Unit to put the town back together'. I wasn't even aware that anyone else from the guild was here.”

“It was just him? There wasn't anyone else?”

“There wasn't...should there have been?”

“He was here with Levy. They were here tryin' to translate somethin' for Master Makarov...now he's here lookin' like this...and she's...DAMN IT!”

“...Ga...jeel...”

Freed had regained consciousness, somewhat, and was tilting his head upwards to look at the enraged Dragon Slayer.

“Freed! Where's Levy?”

“...cap..tured...dark g...uild...O-Oshibana...flying sh-ip...”

“No, don't you pass out on me! Where the hell's the Healing Unit?! Freed! Wake the hell up!”

“Gajeel, he's out again. Just calm down. I'll help you get our guildmate back.”

“Thanks...shit. Lily's goin' back to the guild for back up, but he doesn't know where to send em now.”

“When did he leave?”

“A little over an hour ago.”

“Which direction?”

“This one...east. Why?”

“I can catch up to him and give him the information.”

“Oh yeah, forgot you can use Teleportation Magic. Alright when you get to him, tell him to meet us in Oshibana. We're gonna be lookin' for a guildhall for a dark guild called 'Goblin Horn'.”

“Goblin Horn? Never heard of them...how do you know their name? He only mentioned a dark guild, and wait...don't we already have a team in Oshibana?”

“Jet and Droy from Team Shadow Gear were sent there to stop a dark guild that was supposed to be small and unorganized...and no one's heard back from either of em yet...the guild they were sent to was called 'Goblin Horn'. And earlier I smelled Droy's blood when I was lookin' for Freed and Levy. It can't be a coincidence.”

“Understood. I shouldn't be too long. Make sure Freed is placed in the care of the Healing Unit and have a couple members of the Crocus Protection Unit stand on guard just to be safe.”

“I will. Hey, will you give Lily this note too? Tell him to give it to the Master as soon as he gets back to the guild. It's the translation they were workin' on.”

“I'll make sure he gets it. Make sure he's taken care of so that we can leave once I return.”

“I'll be ready.”

Mest tucked the note into his pocket and dashed out of the city toward Magnolia. Though Panther Lily had departed over an hour before him, the Teleportation Magic that he possessed would allow Mest to catch up to the flying Exceed in as little as 15 minutes. Once he'd caught sight of the soaring feline, he called out from below to get his attention. Lily looked down, and, upon seeing a fellow member of Fairy Tail, lowered to meet him.

“Hey Mest, I don't really have time to talk. Do you need something?”

“Actually I'm here to deliver something to you, from Gajeel.” Mest pulled the letter out of his pocket and handed it to Lily. “He wanted me to tell you that this needs to be given to the Master immediately. It's the translation.”

“What? So that's what Levy left for him at the inn. I'll make sure he gets it as soon as I arrive. I'll see you later.”

“Wait! There's something else.”

“What is it?”

“I was about to leave Crocus and head back home to Magnolia myself, when I happened upon Freed laying in the street just inside the eastern gate of the city.”

“You found Freed? What about Levy?”

“There was no sign of her, but before Freed had fallen unconscious he was able to tell us what happened to her. A dark guild from Oshibana called 'Goblin Horn' has abducted her and is taking her back to their guild. Gajeel wanted me to tell you that once you've secured backup to meet us in Oshibana. We suspect they have the other two members of Team Shadow Gear as well.”

“I will. I should arrive at the guildhall in nine hours, and then I'll assemble a team to help us infiltrate this dark guild. We'll take the train, so it should only take us three hours to get there from Magnolia.”

“Alright. After I make sure Freed is being taken care of and under protection, we'll meet you there. It'll take us about twelve hours to reach Oshibana by wagon, so we'll have a plan of attack ready when we get there.”

“I'll see you in twelve hours then. Do me a favor and try to keep Gajeel from doing anything too extreme.”

“I'll do my best.”

Panther Lily took flight once again and continued on his way back to Magnolia. Mest turned back toward Crocus and teleported his way back to the infuriated Iron Dragon Slayer. Within another fifteen minutes, the former Magic Council member reached the eastern gate. The crowd that was circled around the mangled body of Freed only half an hour ago had dispersed, but the scowling face of Gajeel Redfox was right where he'd been standing when Mest took off.

“You really are quick. Freed's been taken to the Capitol Infirmary with a small unit from the Protection Unit. They'll send word to the guild when he wakes up.”

“Perfect. Your friend has the translation and he mentioned that it would likely take him another nine hours to reach the guildhall. As long as we leave right now, we will all reach Oshibana at the same time. My wagon is just over here.”

“Wagon...? We can't just teleport our way there?”

“No. My Magic Energy would drain within about an hour. It'd be faster for us to take this.”

“Fine. Let's get outta here.”

The wizards boarded the carriage, Gajeel laid out in the back and Mest in the front to steer, and set out to save their companions.

On the flying ship heading to the dark guildhall of Goblin Horn, Levy's body has ceased the throbbing from being struck and is now in a state of stiff soreness. Exhausted, she rolls onto her side to face the wall of the dark cell and tries to slip into sleep. Just as she's able to block out the bruised aching of her wounds, the door to her cage is unlocked and swung open loudly. Turning to face the commotion, Levy sees the unforgiving captain standing in the entryway with a unnerving look on his face.

“Ello there, little 'ero. It's been two hours since our...unfortunate introduction; feelin' better?”

Levy remained silent. She'd decided that she was no longer going to speak while in captivity. Unfortunately, Captain Cathal was not going to accept the silent treatment. After a long, awkward minute without a reply his face shifted into an even more twisted glower.

“It may come as a shock te ye, madame, but I know the human body fairly well. Well enough, in fact, that after making contact with a person I know not just their bodily weaknesses, but how te counter their abilities, and in some cases I can even stop the flow o' Magic Energy within 'em. Now, I'd rather not resort te that last bit if I can help it, but because ye've already defied me once, I will be gettin' retaliation. I'm interested in findin' out just how long ye can keep quiet.”

He walked over to the cot, and in one movement he struck Levy's left calf with the tips of his fingers. Her eyes began to leak tears as she held back a cry of pain. Her lower leg felt as though it'd been crushed, but she vowed that as long as she could help it, she would not let him break her. She watched as his head tilted to the side while he examined her face. As he went in for another strike, Alessio came into view outside the bars.

“Captain, I don't believe the Master would appreciate you using your talents on Ms. McGarden before I've retrieved the message from her.”

“Hm. Well, I suppose ye may be righ', Mr. Bault. Ye'd best get te work then. Oh, and ye should know, she has an enchantment within that brain of 'ers. Must've been a partin' gift from 'er boyfriend. Should ye need me help in breaking it, ye know where I'll be.”

“Indeed. You needn't worry. I'll get through it.”

“I suppose we'll see. I'll give ye a couple o' hours before I take over. I'd wager the Master would be even more unappreciative if we were te arrive while she still had that dirty spell in 'er head, wouldn't ye agree?”

“I would. Fret not, dear captain, I can assure you this isn't my first experience in obtaining sensitive information.”

Captain Cathal left the cell, leaving Alessio and Levy alone. The knightly telepath studied the tear-soaked face of the imprisoned mage for a moment. She stared back at him intensely, trying to convey that she would not be broken by any kind of pain. With a sigh, Alessio seized Levy humanely by her arm and helped her up from the mattress. He sat her down on a stool and secured her bound hands to a chain on the floor.

“Alright, love. I know you're upset and determined to prove that you're profoundly more resilient than the captain believes you to be, but I must ask that you do not fight me while I sever this enchantment. Should you do so, you will be in an immense amount of suffering.”

Once again, Levy said nothing. She merely closed her eyes and tried to prepare herself for the sensation that was about to befall her. This made Alessio feel even more guilty for what he was about to do. Taking in a calming breath and rolling up his sleeves neatly, he breathed out and elegantly lowered to his knees while whispering “Telepathy Magic: Mind Scan”. He rested his middle and pointer fingers on Levy's temples, and began attempting to break Freed's defensive enchantment.

As soon as he'd placed the tips of his fingers onto each side of her head, Levy realized that there was no way she could've prepared herself for this experience. Her relaxed body shot upright immediately, causing her arms to stretch as the chain anchored her down. Her eyes had shot open and all of the focus she'd had on preventing the seal from being broken was gone. She tried to fight, but her body was in a state of agony that she'd never experienced in her life. The only comparison she had for how her body felt was when she'd been turned to stone by Evergreen, and even that didn't cover it. It wasn't just stiff, but it was as if she'd never relaxed a single muscle in her body in her entire life.

Not only was her body straining against the chain, but her head felt as if it were going to combust from the pressure of Alessio's magic. When she thought for sure that her arms were going to rip off and her eyes were going to explode, the tension ceased. Levy's body folded forward out of exhaustion and her head began to throb as if she'd hit it on something. Before she was able to stop herself, she began to weep uncontrollably.

Alessio quickly rose to his feet and walked around to face the distraught girl. He placed her petite face in his hands and looked into her glistening brown eyes. Though it was hard for her to focus on anything other than the way her body was screaming, she noticed he was surveying her with a look of utter sorrow.

“Love...I am truly sorry. I've nearly gotten through, but I'm afraid it's going to be a bit longer. I am begging you not to continue fighting me. Our time is nearly up, and as unbelievable as it may seem, Cathal's technique for retrieving this inscription will be even more grotesque than mine.”

“..ou..our time...it's b-been...hours...?

“It has. Listen to me, love. I'm going to have to get through quickly, so this is going to be even more intense for you. You _**must**_ allow me to do this. Do you understand?”

“Ye...yes.”

With tears in his eyes, he rose to feet and returned to his kneeling position behind Levy. He took his meditative breath in and upon releasing it he pressed his finger tips back onto her temples. Her body shot upward once again as the crushing pressure resumed. Even though she wanted to fight against it, she did as Alessio urged and allowed the energy to flow within her head freely. This caused her to let out a distressing scream of anguish that lasted until the sensation ended once again.

Removing his hands from the now bruised forehead of Levy, Alessio rushed to catch her as her body gave out and fell toward the floor. Unchaining her, he carried her limp form back to the bed and laid her down softly. When he turned to leave, Captain Cathal was standing outside the holding cell eyeing him mischievously. Alessio secured the door after exiting and began to walk past him when his arm was grabbed tightly.

“Ye'd do well, mate, te not get too attached te this one. Once we 'ave what we need from 'er 'ead, I'm going te make sure she suffers for the stunt she pulled on me.”

“ _ **You**_ would do well, 'Captain', to remember _**your**_ place. Being the second in command of a grossly mismanaged group of beasts like Goblin Horn may mean something within the confines of your hideous guildhall, but it means nothing to the right hand of Wraith Overlord's Master Jose. Your sad excuse for a guild answers to my Master, and that means you answer to me. Understand, _**mate**_?”

“Heh. Oh, I understand perfectly. We'll see how long that pathetic Master o' yers can keep the beasts leashed when 'is “righ' hand” prevents 'em from playin' with their new toy.”

“It would be in your best interest to keep that sharp tongue behind your crooked teeth and walk away.”

“Yes sir. I'd hate te offend me superior. We're ahead of schedule, by the way. Should be in Oshibana within two 'ours. Best make sure ye have the message by then.”

The ship captain released the Wraith Overlord mage's arm and returned to the deck above them. Once the sound of his thundering footsteps had receded, Alessio turned his attention back to the cage where he was surprised to see Levy partially sitting up, staring at him. She looked at him questionably as she realized that she'd only ever encountered him when he was collected and calm, and because even though she'd suspected the two were from different guilds, she hadn't expected them to be so hostile towards one another. Not to mention, Wraith Overlord was yet another dark guild she'd never heard of before now.

Reentering the small space, Alessio sat at the foot of the bed and explained: “I apologize for the scene that just played out before you, love. That cretin said more than he should have. Though, I suppose I'm a fool for allowing it to get a rise out of me.”

“You...don't s-eem...li...like allies...” Levy stopped herself from thinking about how both of these guilds were mentioned in the note just as Alessio's shining eyes met hers.

“I can see how you would feel that way, love. If it were my decision, we would not associate with his guild. Goblin Horn is very small and wanting to make a name for itself. Wraith Overlord is much more organized, and simply trying to capitalize on the current state of things. I hate to be impolite and cut this conversation short, but I really must get the translation from that...fiercely brilliant brain of yours.”

“Answer...some..thing for me.”

“Very well, but afterwards I must get back to scanning. Unless, of course, you decide to provide me with the letter's contents without making a spectacle.”

“I can't...but...you mentioned...Jose. I know that name...but...it couldn't be...”

“Ah. I see his face in your mind, love. Yes, that is Master Jose...and that gruff-looking man with the piercings originally served under him...interesting.”

“Get...out...of my...head..!”

“I'm terribly sorry, love, but I'm afraid that's not an option. It feels as if...oh yes, you're hiding something.”

“Wha...no, I...well, yeah the message, but that's it.”

“No, no. There's something else. Up you get now.”

Alessio pulled the flustered Levy to her feet and sat her back down while reapplying the chains to her bindings. After gently touching his fingers to Levy's purple-skinned head once again, she cried out as the unbelievably excessive aching resumed. This time, however, she was fighting off the immense Magical Energy that her admirer was pumping into her mind. It was painful, but she wasn't going to let him see how she felt about Gajeel and she wasn't going to fail Master Makarov by letting the inscription fall into the hands of these dark guilds.

For what felt like an eternity she fought against the power of Alessio's Mind Scan, and she felt she was succeeding. The dapper telepathy mage seemed to believe she was to because in an instant he'd added his ring fingers to Levy's sore temples which seemed to somehow increase the crushing pressure within her brain. Her back arched dangerously as her head yanked back to be parallel with the ceiling. She could feel the veins in her forehead throbbing uncontrollably in time with her panicked heart and that's when she knew she'd have to let him see one of her secrets.

Allowing the enemy to have this translation was not an option, so she knew she'd have to let him see how she felt about Gajeel. Tears flowed down her face yet again with this realization, but she knew it was for the good of Fairy Tail. She hadn't gotten the chance to express her deep love for the Iron Dragon Slayer before he'd been seemingly yanked into the underworld, and then when he'd come back to her, the war against the Alakatisian army was still going on so there wasn't an opportunity for her to confess her feelings to him. She'd planned to tell the brooding wizard how she felt about him when she'd made it back to Magnolia, and the thought of Alessio Bault finding out before Gajeel upset her.

Alessio suddenly felt a release of tension within Levy's mind and concentrated on it. Once he did, he was transported to a horrific scene being played out before him. Levy was walking with the two Fairy Tail wizards that Goblin Horn had captured nearly a week ago. He couldn't help but notice how happy she seemed to be in that moment. Just after the love-struck boys had vowed to protect her from harm, the figure of the iron-faced man that had showed up in Crocus came into view and pummeled Levy to ground.

Jet and Droy attacked the assailant in unison, but it was useless. Gajeel Redfox beat them both mercilessly while Levy picked herself up off the ground. She pleaded with him to stop, but this seemed to provoke more violence from him. He stopped assaulting her friends, and began brutally bashing her while encouraging her to cry out. This continued for some time with some pitiful attempts at stopping Gajeel from the boys of Shadow Gear, but finally the terribly tortured trio was defeated. He hung Jet and Droy on the giant tree in the South Gate Park, and painted the Phantom Lord symbol on Levy's stomach before adding her to the display.

After watching this, a flood of other memories with Gajeel came into view. Alessio watched as the Dragon Slayer joined Fairy Tail and was beaten by not only the male members of Team Shadow Gear, but by another guild member. Levy asked Laxus to stop, but this made him send a blast of thunder hurtling toward the frightened girl. Just as she was about to be hit, Gajeel had blocked it by transforming his arm into an iron bar. The mind scanning wizard could feel Levy's appreciation and there was something else as well...what was it? Attraction?

Memory after memory continued to unravel before him. Gajeel once again acting as a shield for Levy against the head of the Thunder Legion, encouraging her to go through with the Fairy Tail S-Class trial and offering to be her partner for it, annoying her by saying she needed to be stronger to get his attention, saving her from two members of Grimoire Heart after she tried to ditch him during those trials. Alessio could feel the way her heart had fluttered when the pierced brute of a man advised her not to leave his side again. He could sense the desperation she'd felt inside at the Grand Magic Games as another Dragon Slayer strangled him, and the infatuation within her as a cleaned up Gajeel found her writing alone at a ball.

The year the two had spent together on the Magic Council while their guild was disbanded. Alessio saw everything; every smile, laugh, tear, and moment between Levy and Gajeel. He understood now why she'd wanted to keep it from him. Not only was she intending to tell this rugged, spikey-haired oaf that she was in love with him, but she was afraid that because of the evident attraction Alessio had toward her that he would try to harm the man who held her heart. He removed his hands and caught her lethargic form as it toppled backward.

“What a precarious history. Though I believe you can do significantly better...I understand why you feel such a profound love for him. You needn't worry about me, love. I've never been the sort of man to lash out in jealousy. If anything, this gives me hope.”

He brushed the hair from her unconscious face and unintentionally caught a glimpse of another recollection. It was a note; no, it was _**the**_ note. Alessio apologized, but placed his hands back on the sides of Levy's head. Focusing on the words, he was able to make out everything except the name that it was signed by. The letter read:

'Makarov,

Raven Tail has fallen. Wraith Overlord will soon make their move against your guild. Goblin Horn is only the beginning.

-”

After laying Levy back down to rest, he left the cell and went to the upper deck of the ship. Tasde was making sure all of the various equipment was secured which could only mean that they were about to land. Alessio climbed one more set of stairs to the control deck where Cathal was preparing for the descent into Oshibana. Upon meeting his gaze, the captain raised a brow at him as if to inquire he'd gotten the information. Alessio merely nodded in response, took a seat, and watched the view of the city magnify as the flying vessel landed.

Two hours later in the city of Magnolia: Panther Lily has just flown through the entrance into the broken city. He could see the improvements that had been made in his absence, but tried to remain focused on the mission at hand. After passing a group of Magic Council members, he heard someone call after him. Turning around, he saw Bickslow heading toward him.

“Hey cat! Word is your metal friend went to check on Freed! How's he doin'?”

The souls that accompanied the strange Thunder Legion mage were all repeating: “Yeah, how's he doin'?” Panther Lily continued on his path to the guildhall, but decided that Bickslow deserved to know about his friend.

“To be honest, he's not doing well at all. He and Levy were abducted by a dark guild and he was beaten badly before escaping. I think he's in the Crocus hospital now.”

“Wha...Someone beat him?! Where is this dark guild?! It's time for a fight!”

“Time to fight, time to fight!”

“I have to see the Master, but if you're serious about wanting to get some revenge I'll be leaving for Oshibana after I speak with him. You're more than welcome to come along and help teach these guys a lesson.”

“Ah yeah! I'll grab Evergreen too! It'll be another Thunder Legion smack down!”

“Meet me at the train station in ten minutes. I'll see if I can get a couple of other people to come too.”

Bickslow and his souldiers rushed off to find Evergreen while Panther Lily continued toward the remains of the Fairy Tail guildhall. When he'd made it inside the still deconstructed building, there were several members gathered inside for dinner. He rushed past his friends and made his way to Makarov's room, which was closest to where the bar used to be. Pulling the curtain back, he witnessed the small guild master eating dinner with his grandson, Laxus, who glanced up at him questioningly.

“Master Makarov. I have a letter for you from Levy. It's the translation of the letter we received while you were incapacitated.”

“Can't you see the old man is trying to eat? Come back after dinner.”

“Now Laxus, this is important. I'll take the letter Lily, thank you.”

Gliding over to the bedridden old man, Lily handed the inscription over and waited for him to read it over.

“What is this? Do we know where this came from?”

“No, Master...Mira found it pinned to the doorway when we were moving you and the others here for Porlyusica.”

“Where is Levy? Is she certain this is what it said?”

“Well, that's the other thing...she and Freed were taken by a dark guild by the name of Goblin Horn...she managed to help Freed escape, but she's being taken to their hall in Oshibana. We suspect Jet and Droy are being held captive there as well.”

“WHAT? Where is Freed now?”

“He's recovering in Crocus, sir. Gajeel and Mest made sure he was being treated before they left.”

“Wait a damn minute,” Laxus interrupted, “what do you mean he's 'recovering'?”

“Well...Mest found him in the street near an entrance into the city...and he was beaten pretty badly.”

“And they left him there?! What if the guys who attacked him go back to finish him off?”

“I wouldn't worry. Mest mentioned he would make sure he was taken care of before he and Gajeel headed to Goblin Horn's headquarters. He's most likely been placed in the care of the Citizen Protection Unit. If someone were stupid enough to try to get to Freed while he's under their protection, then it'll be their funeral.”

“That's enough Laxus,” Makarov said gently, “he'll be perfectly safe. Now Lily, you said those two are going to Oshibana?”

“Yes sir. I'm actually supposed to be heading there now to join them. I believe Bickslow and Evergreen will be coming along with me. Laxus, we welcome the help if you're feeling up to it.”

“Hell yeah I'm up to it. It's been too long since the Thunder Legion took out some up and coming dark guild. Let's get out of here.”

Master Makarov sat up slightly in his bed as his grandson rose to his feet. “Please be careful my boy. Without knowing this enemy, we're at a slight disadvantage.”

“Yeah, yeah old man. Don't you worry about me. I'm gonna get everyone back and get revenge for what they've done to our family.”

Panther Lily smiled as the crippled guild master began to sniffle and tear up at Laxus' words. He watched as the usually stone-faced thunder mage leaned down and hugged his grandfather who then began to weep happily. Once he'd turned back to Lily, Laxus motioned for him to lead the way and they set off to find the rest of the Thunder Legion. Before making it out of the guildhall, Lucy flagged down the determined duo.

“Hey guys! Is it true that Levy was abducted?”

“Yes,” Panther Lily confessed, “but don't worry. We're on our way to meet up with Bickslow and Evergreen, and then we're going to get her back.”

“I want to go with you guys...but I have to stay here and make sure Natsu doesn't get any ideas about going after you...I wish...” Just then Celestial Spirit Leo, also known to members of Fairy Tail as Loke, appeared beside Lucy.

“And your wish is my command milady. After all, rescuing damsels in distress happens to be a specialty of mine.”

“Fine,” Laxus said irritably, “just shut up and let's go. We're gonna miss the train if we keep chitchatting.”

The disgruntled Dragon Slayer walked ahead, leaving Lucy, Leo, and Lily standing awkwardly where he'd left them. After a brief goodbye, and an aggravated comment from Lucy about Loke opening his own gate to interrupt their conversation, the Exceed carried the head of the Zodiac to catch up to Laxus. Upon reaching the train station, Bickslow and Evergreen cheered at the sight of their team leader and Warren met the group before they boarded.

“Hey guys, you should take this communication lacrima with you. I made it compact, so it'll be easier to carry around. It's only a prototype, so I can't promise that it'll be very clear, but when you have things taken care of, or if you need any more assistance, just press your finger here on this square and it'll call us at the guildhall.”

“I swear Warren,” Evergreen marveled, “I don't know how you manage to conjure up these inventions of yours. I'll be the one holding onto this seeing as how I'm the most graceful of this lot. It would be a shame for one of these boys to break it.”

“Hey,” Bickslow chimed in, “Me and my babies are plenty graceful! Isn't that right?”

“So graceful! So, so graceful!”

“I would hardly call you graceful, Bick. Besides, this precious trinket requires a woman's touch.”

“Whatever you say Ever-green. See what I did there babies?”

“Good rhyme, good time!”

Warren laughed airily as an attendant walked past announcing the final boarding call for the train. Even though he was originally excited at the prospect of his invention being tested out on a rescue mission, Warren was reluctant to hand it over to Evergreen. He extended his arm, shakily, and the female Eye Magic mage snatched it eagerly before joining her party on the nearest train car. This made him feel even more uncertain as to whether or not he would get the lacrima back in one piece, but he waved them away encouragingly regardless.

Just as the Fairy Tail Rescue Squad, as Bickslow had begun calling them, had piled into the nearest, empty cabin the vessel began to move. To Panther Lily's surprise, Laxus immediately keeled over in a state of discomfort. It had only just occurred to the feline that he'd never traveled with the Second Generation Dragon Slayer. Though, after giving it a moment of thought, any time he'd known of Laxus being on a job he knew that he tended to walk to his destinations. It was refreshing, and a little humorous, to see the powerful S-Class wizard reacting the same as Gajeel would in the same situation.

Three hours later, at the Oshibana Train Station: Bickslow and Loke have hoisted the still sick Laxus up and helped him off of the immobile train. As they made their way out of the station, the familiar faces of Mest and Gajeel came into view. Upon seeing his best friend, Gajeel kicked off of the death wagon that had carried his motion sickened body the last twelve hours to this location and met him halfway.

“Hey Lily. Ya ready to crush some skulls?”

“Most definitely. As you can see, the Thunder Legion wants to even the score with Goblin Horn as well. Isn't that right Laxus?”

“Damn right. My stomach isn't turning anymore,” Laxus piped up, “and I'm ready to teach these losers a lesson.”

“I know the feeling. And I see Loke...did ya guys leave Lucy on the train?”

“No,” Loke said while holding back laughter, “it's just me. She needed to stay behind to keep Natsu in check. Porlyusica caught him trying to sneak out of the guildhall yesterday and now she's making him stay in bed through the weekend as punishment.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Salamander. Well, me and Mest figured out where these low life scumbags' guildhall is and we came up with a plan for gettin' Le...I mean Team Shadow Gear back.”

“Well,” Evergreen said impatiently, “are you going to leave us in suspense?”

Mest had made his way over to the group and surveyed their surroundings before speaking.

“Not here. We don't know how big this guild is,” Mest warned, “and we don't know who here could be part of it. There's a pub near the guildhall that we can stop in. It'll be louder in there, so that'll make it harder for someone to listen in on us.”

After some mumbled approval from the team, Mest led the way down the street in front of the station. Gajeel and Lily followed close behind and caught up with each other as they walked. Loke and Bickslow were recounting the events of the previous day that led Natsu to being a prisoner within the guildhall, and laughing obnoxiously. Evergreen and Laxus took up the rear and were discussing their concern for Freed and their eagerness to get some much needed revenge for their friends. It was nearly twenty minutes of walking before they came to halt outside a very rundown looking pub called: “The Flattened Phlox”.

As they entered the neglected bar, the sound of live music and raucous conversation filled their ears. Mest motioned to an empty booth fifteen feet to their left. Weaving in and out of the traffic was tedious and, to some of the mages, annoying. Once they'd all finally crammed into the stained benches, an overworked waitress took their orders: Bickslow and Laxus each ordered an ale, even though Mest advised against doing so; Evergreen ordered a white wine; Mest and Panther Lily requested water; and Gajeel and Loke refrained from ordering anything. They waited until the meager server brought them their drinks and went on her way again to start their discussion.

Mest leaned in toward the center of the table causing the others to do the same. The uproar of the other patrons acted as a good distraction for the Fairy Tail Rescue Squad. It appeared as though their plotting was going unnoticed, and at around an hour before midnight they paid their bill and headed to the exit. Their plan was simple: Bickslow would use his babies to locate where Levy and the boys of Team Shadow Gear were being held, the Thunder Legion would begin their attack on the unsuspecting guild while Loke, Gajeel, and Panther Lily freed their imprisoned comrades, and then they would all rendezvous outside of the guildhall.

After finding a secluded, ill lit area just outside the gate of the building that housed Goblin Horn, Bickslow sent his souls off to find out what they could about the captive Fairy Tail wizards. The five floating totems soared off toward the gaudy guildhall as silent as possible. When they'd reached the front wall, the souls split up. Two headed to towards the left side of the building, two toward the right, and the last rose to the very top tower of the hall.

The two babies that had gone to the left side of the building had also split up. One rose to the middle level and found a window to go through while the other sank to the lowest point of the building and found a barred window that it could not get through. After studying the interior for a few seconds, the little soul noticed something that looked like a statue of a goblin sitting on a table just within eyesight. Letting out a mischievous chuckle, the soul left it's usual home within the totem and jumped into the disturbing garden gnome sized goblin.

The goblin baby scurried down the dark corridor searching for any sort of cell that Team Shadow Gear could be being held in. It didn't get far before it had located the dark guild's dungeon, but surprisingly there wasn't anyone occupying it. Feeling defeated, the soul floated back up the stone-covered hallway and returned to it's former shell before heading back to Bickslow with an update on what it'd found.

Similarly, the two totems that had gone to the right of the building split up; one taking the bottom and one taking the middle. The little soul who'd taken the lower level had found itself inside a very dark, but very large, room that was filled with what appeared to be various tables and shelves. Inspecting it further, it was obvious it'd found Goblin Horn's library. After exiting the room, it followed a dim walkway that led to a set of stairs, but turned back toward where it'd come from and hurried to fill in the Fairy Tail team.

The lone doll that had climbed to the highest point of the Goblin Horn guildhall had found a hole in the tiles of the roof, and entered without hesitation. After busting through the ceiling, it lowered into a gothic-styled bedroom that would give any living person the chills. Though empty of any human life, there were odd artifacts everywhere; things like skulls from odd creatures, various potions, and many grimoires full of scary spells. It was clear that whoever lived in this room was into some very dark, black magic. After giving the lair a once over, the soul departed and ventured further down into the guildhall.

The next solid level was several stories down, and consisted of various rooms that could only serve as housing for the members of the guild. Bickslow's baby peaked into several rooms and found that they were empty just like the tower. Seeing as how ridiculously bright the exterior of the building was, it was expected that the souls would likely encounter some members of this dark guild. A few minutes more of looking around, and finding nothing, the doll departed and headed back to the others.

Meanwhile, the two babies that had went to investigate the middle of the structure had found one another after a short time of not finding a single living person on either side that they'd originated. Together, they glided down to a pitch black open area that seemed to serve as a sort of common room for the dark wizards. The pair divided the massive room in half and went to work exploring. Several minutes passed before one of the totems stumbled upon a supposedly dead body laying near the base of a platform that held a grand throne. The soul began banging it's wooden shell against the ground near the corpse, causing the other to dash over to the commotion. They circled it in a panic and then rushed out of the guildhall to inform Bickslow of the discovery.

When the final two babies had made it back to the Fairy Tail Rescue Squad, Bickslow was already able to see that they'd found something of interest.

“What is it babies?”

“CORPSE, CORPSE, CORPSE!”

“The hell they mean corpse?” Gajeel asked shocked.

“You're sure there's a body in there you two?”

“DEFINITELY A CORPSE!”

Gajeel and Panther Lily didn't waste any time in springing into action. The other dolls had already informed everyone that the hall was deserted, so in one swift movement the Dragon Slayer grabbed one of the screaming wooden figures and had jumped over the wall. His Exceed friend took flight and snatched him mid air and made for the building before them. They smashed through the entrance and Gajeel yelled at the soul to show him where the body had been found.

They followed it out of the foyer and through a door into a grand lounge that was still terribly dark. The other Fairy Tail mages sprinted into the room just after them and Loke used his Regulus Magic to illuminate the scene before them. The soul trudged on toward the base of the elevated throne at the edge of the massive room, and Evergreen let out a gasp in response to the sight. Droy lay evidently lifeless before them and Gajeel fell to his knees in response to this realization.

Just as he was about to cry out in frustration, he heard the sound of ragged breathing. His eyes widened dramatically and he instructed Panther Lily and Laxus to help him roll the colossal figure onto it's back. The trio heaved Droy's round form and when they were able to see his face they realized he wasn't dead, but the severity of his wounds indicated that he could very well be soon. There were several bruises that covered his body, and his nose appeared to have been broken and unmended, but among the more serious injuries were various punctures that happened to be over some of his body's vital organs: one over the liver, two over the lungs, and one over where Droy's heart would be located.

Seeing the severity of the trauma, Lily declared that he was going to go and find help. When he'd flown from the hall, Evergreen grabbed Warren's communication lacrima and pressed her finger to a square decorated with the guild's insignia. Almost immediately, the tired face of Warren filled the surface of the crystal, and the blurred image of the broken Fairy Tail guildhall could be seen behind him.

“Hey Ev...reen...guys done...alr...y?”

“Oh dear...it seems as though your little contraption still needs some of the kinks worked out. The guildhall is empty, they've abandoned it...and they left Droy here as well. He's very seriously injured. Panther Lily has gone to find a local healer...but...” She trailed off as Gajeel turned his head in her direction.

“Oh...a...they're ju...gone? Wh...abou...vy and...Jet?”

“It's very difficult to understand you Warren. There isn't any sight of Jet or Levy. It's entirely possible that they were taken to wherever Goblin Horn has ventured off t-”

“N-no,” Droy voiced forcefully, “Sh-e g-g-go-t a...a-way...t-two hou-rs a-go. Bl-ue P-peg-gasus. J-j-j-jet...is be-ing c-con-controll-ed. T-two oth-ers a-a-a-fter h-her. H-have t-t-to sss-ave Le-vy.”

“Hey, ssh, “ Gajeel said in a surprisingly soothing tone, “it's alright soldier. I'll go knock some sense into that idiot and save our girl. You just need to focus on stayin' awake.”

“Y-yes s-s-sir.”

Rising to his feet, the Iron Dragon Slayer snatched the lacrima out of Evergreen's hand.

“Warren, your lacrima is a hunk of junk, so I'm assumin' you didn't get any of what Droy just said?”

“I...rd...it..! That lacr...was desi...ed to be a..le to-”

“Alright, I get it. If Levy really is heading to the Blue Pegasus guildhall, then she's either gotta be gettin' close now or she's already made it there. Me and Mest are gonna go on ahead to Clover Town. Loke and the Thunder Legion are gonna see what they can find out from this empty base.”

Without even listening for a response, Gajeel handed Warren's invention back to Evergreen and started to leave the common room. Mest, who was standing beside him when he was talking to Warren, jogged after him. By the time he'd caught up to him, Gajeel was halfway through the door leading outside. Once they'd both stepped out onto the front path, Laxus emerged from the darkened entryway as well.

“Whaddya want, Laxus?”

“I want what I came here to get: revenge. I'm coming with you guys.”

“Hm...Mest, how fast you think we can get to Clover Town?”

“I'll be honest, it'll take a little more time than if I were just taking one of you guys with me...but...it isn't too far from here so maybe...twenty minutes or so.”

“Fine,” Laxus said impatiently, “let's get going then.”

Each Dragon Slayer draped an arm around Mest, and he placed his arms around each of them in response. After finding his footing, the Teleportation Mage kicked off the ground and began the journey to the guildhall of their ally: Blue Pegasus.

Two and a half hours ago in the Goblin Horn dungeon: Levy wakes up to find herself no longer aboard Captain Cathal's flying ship. Despite a head-splitting migraine, she slowly sits up on her mattress and takes in her new surroundings. Once again, she found herself locked away in a cell; though this one was substantially more spacious. Not only that, but she realized she wasn't alone in the prison; chained to the wall opposite of her was one of her close friends: Droy. She gasped softly and rushed over to him.

“Droy? Droy, can you hear me?”

He raised his head slightly and upon seeing Levy crouched in front of him he appeared to snap out of whatever trance he had succumbed to.

“Oh..my gosh. Levy, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know. I heard these were the visiting hours, and thought I'd see how you and Jet were doing.” She giggled halfheartedly, but Droy's face was full of concern.

“You have to get out of here. These guys are nuts. They took control of Jet somehow and made him fight against me...that's how I ended up like this.”

“What? Jet actually fought you?”

“He tried to fight it at first, but then some huge, bearded guy elbowed me in the nose...pretty sure it's broken, but it stopped hurting a couple days ago. Anyway, after that Jet must've thought it'd be easier on me for him to knock me around...and after I was knocked out they chained me up here.”

“Oh my gosh...Droy I have to get you out of here. Hang on a sec...Solid Script Magic: Hammer and Chisel.”

Levy was relieved to see that the restraint around her ankle wasn't blocking her ability to use magic. The words formed a solid hammer and chisel shape, and she used it to release her teammates' wrists from their shackles. He slumped forward, but caught himself before he crushed the petite mage. She spent several minutes helping her broken, overweight friend to his feet so that he could sit on the bed she'd just climbed out of.

When he'd finally planted himself down on the old mattress, Levy let out a small sigh and sank down onto the floor next to him. He looked her over a few times as if expecting her to break down, but when she didn't he relaxed a little more. A couple more minutes passed in silence as they duo tried to catch their breath, and before Droy could say anything Levy sparked up conversation once again.

“Before you say anything, I'm not going anywhere as long as you're here. You're in way worse shape than I am, so if either of us are going to escape, it's going to be you.”

“No way. Jet and I made a pact to protect you, so I'm gonna get you out of here. If I left without you, then he'd probably kick my butt again...and Gajeel would probably just kill me.”

“You're already free Droy. I just have to get you out the door, and then you can go and get help for me and Jet. Blue Pegasus is just one town over from here, and they'd definitely help.”

“I won't do it.”

“Droy. Please be reasonable.”

“I am, Levy. These guys have already hurt me and Jet...and by the looks of things they've done enough to you. I'm too big to even get very far, so you're the one who has to go get help.”

“I...I can't do that. No way, I won't...no. Please, don't make me leave you here.”

“Don't do that. It has to be like this, Levy. You know I'm right, for once. As much as I hate to admit it, Gajeel has really helped you get stronger...so I know you can do this. Just use your Solid Script to get us both out of here and then I'll be a distraction and hold them off for as long as I can.”

“I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself for me!” Sitting on the ground, she dropped to her hands and began to cry.

“Levy...”

“No! Everyone is always risking their lives to save me! I'm sick of it! I'm not leaving here without you!”

“...okay. We'll go together, BUT if it comes down to one of us having to stay behind it's gonna be me. Understand?”

Wiping away the tears running down her face, Levy looked Droy in the eyes and nodded hesitantly. She used her hammer and chisel to free herself from her binding before rising to her feet. She made her way over to door of the cell and investigated the lock on the outside. A moment of thought passed before she finally whispered the phrase: “Solid Script: Hand Drill”. The words appeared before her, made into the shape of a crank drill, and she placed the drill end into the locking mechanism and began to drill through it. After a few minutes of struggling, a hole was formed where the secured, solid metal plate had been. She applied a small amount of pressure to the center of the door and it opened slowly.

Turning around, it was obvious that her friend was having trouble getting up from the cot, so she walked over to him and pulled his arms as high up as she could while he pressed his legs into the floor. Once Droy managed to get to his feet, the Team Shadow Gear wizards crept down the dungeon hall as quietly as possible and made for a staircase leading upward. It was a painfully cautious climb to the next level of the unfamiliar building, but when the steps finally ended, Droy pointed to a door twenty feet in front of them and explained to Levy that the guild's lounge was through it.

They stood there at the top of the stairs for a few seconds to devise a strategy of getting around the room that Goblin Horn uses to socialize. Droy attempted to recount everything he'd remembered seeing during his initial visit, but came up blank on an alternate route. Reluctantly, the duo edged down the corridor a little more to investigate any other available routes. Luckily, there was a door to the immediate right of the one they needed to avoid.

Levy turned the knob as delicately as she could and then pushed against it softly. She opened it just enough to take a peak at what was behind the door, and discovered a slightly darkened open room that appeared to be an extension of the guildhall's foyer. All they needed to do was make it across this room to the archway that led to the lobby, and the exit, without catching the attention of their captors. After checking to make sure there weren't any guild members lurking in the shadows of the pale light, she opened the door as far as she could and they slid across the sitting room silently.

Reaching the entrance to the front door, Levy peered around the door frame and confirmed that it was empty. Droy stepped out into the lobby first, just to be safe, and before he was able to get the door of the main entrance open he was struck by a fast moving object. He glanced over to where Levy was still hidden in the conjoined room and made a small, but clear head shake to communicate that she needed to remain where she stood. Looking around, he was able to just barely block another blow and identify the source of the first strike.

The third member of Fairy Tail's Team Shadow Gear remained in the air for just a second as his kick was rejected before he jumped back to put a couple feet of space between him and his friend. Levy looked on in horror at the sight of her teammates having a serious battle before her. Droy used his Plant Magic to summon his Chain Plant to restrain his light footed pal, but Jet avoided them and attempted to strike Droy again. To Jet's surprise, one of the seeds had not sprouted with the others, and instead sprang to life just in time to grab his leg as he had jumped into the air.

Once the leg was secured, the vine flung the speedster through the door at the end of the entrance hall. Jet rolled across the ground inside of the common room, catching the attention of the members of Goblin Horn that were gathered there. Droy looked over to the blue-haired mage and smiled before strolling after his childhood friend and closing the door behind him. Levy wiped away a tear that had rolled down her cheek and bolted toward the exit. Just as she'd crossed the threshold she heard the faint, but familiar, voice of an angered Captain Cathal coming from the room that her friends were shut inside. She took a step back inside the building, debating whether or not she was going to keep her word about leaving Droy behind, and the door opposite her swung open violently.

Cathal was standing in the doorway with blood on his hands and a face full of vengeance that frightened Levy to her core. She caught a glimpse of her out of shape friends laying on the ground in the distance with Jet and Tasde beating him mercilessly. His head turned toward her and, rising to his feet quicker than usual, he sprouted two very large leaves to push his attackers away long enough for his Chain Plants to grab hold of the captain and yank him backwards. That's when she was able to make out several spots on Droy's clothing that were pooling with blood. Her horror was interrupted by Droy yelling at her to run, and without another thought she turned away from the terrible scene so that she could get help for her friends.

When she'd made it out of the gate surrounding the guildhall, Kyo emerged from a shadow to her right. Levy threw a punch at the twisted face of her bald abductor, but he blocked it with ease by grabbing her hand and pulling her into him. She struggled against him, but his hold was too tight.

“Calm yerself now! I won' be 'armin' ye!”

“Yeah right! Get off of me!”

“O' fer the love o'...stop i'! Lemme prove i' to ye! Caval is comin' fis way, and ye 'ave me word fat 'e won' see ye.”

“Wha...?”

Just as he said, the sky pirate emerged in a full sprint from the gate entrance and looked around fanatically for the escaped Fairy Tail mage. It was clear that he was unable to see her, just like Gajeel and Lily in Crocus, and after a minute of him glancing around for her he ran toward where his ship was parked. Alessio Bault and Jet arrived just after the deranged captain took off. Levy noticed that although their eyes seemed to be searching for either her or Cathal, they were very clouded and their usual expressive faces were now emotionless. After a few seconds of their misty eyes looking around the area, they appeared to have caught sight of the terrifying captain and in an almost robotic movement, the pair turned toward the vessel and jogged away. Kyo waited until they had both entered the ship before he loosened his hold on Levy.

“See? I know we didn' ge' off on fee righ' foo', bu' I am 'ere to 'elp ye.”

“Why?”

“Le's jus' say I'm loyaw to a man who don' wanna see yer guild faw to anyone bu' 'im. E'en warned ye abou' 'em.”

“Wait...your boss is the person who wrote the letter?”

“Yeh, and 'e technically works wiff Goblin 'Orn and Wraif O'erlord, so 'e can' 'ave 'em knowin'.”

“Why did he sign his initials then?”

“Well...I s'pose 'e wanted yer master to know i' was 'im who sen' i'.”

“And who sent it?”

“I'an...n...I mean...fa's none o' yer business. Now, we 'ave to ge' ye to Clo'er Town before fey cu' us off. Le's go.”

“Wait, how did you know I was going to Clover Town instead of Magnolia?

“I's no' like I need to be a genius. Fee ovver guild...somevin wiff Pony...fey're yer allies, and fey are closah fan yer guild. Our Master made sure we aw knew tha'.”

“Great...and how are we supposed to get there before them? It's not like we can just take the train. They'll look there first!”

“Heh. Tha's true, bu' don' ye worry. We can use me piggy.”

“Your...what?”

Instead of answering Levy, Kyo walked in the opposite direction of the others and motioned for her to follow just before he round the corner. She followed cautiously as they walked along the left side of the guild's building. They walked past the dark structure and made for the city gate at the back of Oshibana. When they'd finally crossed through, Kyo led the way to a stable where it looked like the travelers who preferred not to take the train kept their wagons and animals. He asked her to stay outside while he retrieved his companion.

A few minutes passed and Levy glanced around her to see if any of the Goblin Horn members were going to find her standing there alone. Feeling uneasy, she decided it would be safer for her to wait for him inside. Just before she was able to enter the wooden building, Kyo emerged and to Levy's surprise he was leading a giant, saddled boar behind him. In the span of a few seconds, her face shifted from afraid, to shocked, and finally landed on a very awkward smile of disbelief.

“So...when you said 'piggy'...you really meant that we're going to ride this boar all the way to Clover Town...”

“O' course! I don' lie! LuLu 'ere can ge' us to yer Pony friends jus' as quick as Caval's ship.”

“How can she possibly be that fast? Cathal should arrive to Clover Town in a little over an hour from now...I can't imagine this boar can move almost as fast as a flying ship or a train.”

“Well, LuLu happens to be a rare breed. One fa' was made for sprintin'.”

“LuLu, huh...?”

Suddenly, Levy began to think of her dear friend Lucy. She wondered what the Celestial wizard might do if she were in this situation. Would she have left a member of their guild behind while she fled? Would she have been able to fight off the initial attack in Crocus and not have gotten captured at all? Shaking her head free of the negative thoughts, she refocused and climbed onto the back of the giant warthog. She wasn't abandoning Droy; she was going to get reinforcements and then she was going to return to save him.

Once Kyo had settled into the saddle in front of the small mage, he advised her to hang onto the bar between them as hard as she could. She grabbed onto it without hesitation and braced for the creature's take off. The bald man held the reins in his left hand and clutched the bar located in front of him tightly. He gently tapped his foot heels into the sides of the monstrous beast and in response she rushed forward at an unbelievable speed.

Levy's tiny frame slid backward at an alarming rate and she let out a panicked yell. Kyo turned his head in response and, upon seeing the look on the girl's face, he let out a cackle that was muffled by the strong wind being produced by LuLu's fast pace. As her eyes filled with tears and her hair flew wildly in the air, Levy felt her headband fly off. She turned and watched it fall to the road behind them just before it was no longer within her view.

On the journey from Oshibana to Blue Pegasus' home of Clover Town, Levy tried to focus on developing a strategy for making it to the guildhall of Fairy Tail's allies without being seen by her captors. She assumed that the muscular man sitting in front of her would not be guiding her there due to the risk of being found out by his guild mates, so she tried to imagine the town layout in her head. She'd only been there a few times in her life, and none of those times were recent. She also didn't know how much damaged had been caused by the Alkatasian army, so it was hard for her to come up with a route to get her there quickly. Finding her way to reinforcements was going to have to be done without a strategy.

When the city came into view, Kyo pulled back on the reins to slow LuLu down drastically. Levy's hands were sore from how tight she was gripping the saddle the last hour. LuLu was directed over to some trees just outside the small town of Clover Town where she was stopped. Kyo jumped down from the swift creature and assisted Levy in climbing down as well. Her body was stiff and she could feel the effects of the unending barrage of wind on her face as she stood there. She was having trouble getting her hands to adjust to being free, and the feeling of the jolting ride was still present.

“Sorry, bu' fis is as far as I can go. Ye'll find fee Pony guild in fee back edge of fee city. If ye look close, ye can see fa' Caval is only jus' landin'. On yer way now.”

“Thank you for getting me here. I know we're still not on the same team, but because of your help I'm gonna be able to get help for Jet and Droy.”

“Alrigh', alrigh'. No need to be sappy. Jus' ge' goin'.”

The short, toned man mounted his beast and took off back toward Oshibana. Levy turned her gaze back to the scenic town before her and set off as fast she could. Reaching the open space that served as the entrance into Clover Town, she noticed that Captain Cathal's vessel was nearing the ground in the same clearing just to the right of her. Panicked, she dashed to the left and pushed herself to run even faster through the hilly city. She'd just made it to the top of a slight, rocky incline when she heard the sound of footfall coming in at a rapid pace. Though she knew she shouldn't, she couldn't help but turn her head back to see who was going to catch up to her first.

The slim form of Jet filled her vision when she glanced behind her. He was very close to getting a hold on her, and she was beginning to feel even more anxious.

_No, I can't let him get ahold of me. Not now. I'm so close to Blue Pegasus' guildhall! I'm sorry about this Jet._

“SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC: OIL!”

Spelled out on the ground just behind the Fairy Tail wizard in black oil was the word: oil. Jet stepped into it and immediately began to slide at a dangerous rate. His speed caused him to crash into a nearby tree with a very loud bang. Levy looked back to ensure no serious harm was done to her hypnotized friend, and then continued at her current pace toward the back edge of the town. The amount of uphill climbs she had to make was causing her legs to ache and weaken, but still she pushed on until the building housing the charming guild came into view at last.

_There it is! Alright, not much further now. Hang on Droy!_

Levy had just made it to the clearing outside of the Blue Pegasus guildhall when Jet emerged in front of her, cutting her off. She let out a terrified gasp and quickly jumped to the side to avoid running right into her friend's arms. She kept on the course, but was cut off once again by the compromised form of Alessio Bault. This time she had to roll through his legs in order to avoid being grabbed. Getting back to her feet, she felt a sting coming from her forehead. She touched her fingers to her face as she took off again; when she pulled her hand away she saw that she was bleeding. She must have hit her head too hard on the ground when she dodged Alessio.

_No time to worry about that now. I'm almost there. I just have to keep going and then I'll have back up. Just keep going!_

Jet went to make a second attempt at grabbing her and she quickly jumped out of the way again. He zoomed past and hit the ground hard trying to stop himself. Levy used her Solid Script to form a fence in front of Alessio just as he was getting close to her again as well. He ran into it and flipped over onto the ground on the other side with a thud. She sprinted toward the guild once again and this time was unable to dodge as Captain Cathal appeared to her immediate right and leaned down to jab her upper thigh forcefully. She let out a cry of pain as her right leg refused to move and her petite body fell to the ground.

_Oh no! This can't be happening! I can't move my leg! I have to get someone's attention!_

Without hesitation, Levy shouted: “SOLID SCRIPT: FLARE!” and the dark sky was filled with a bright red light above her. When she pulled herself to her feet, Levy leaned out of the way of another attack from the bitter ship captain. He let out a horrifying yell in anger and let out a full powered punch right into side of Levy's head. Falling back to the cold, rock-filled ground she let out another scream of pain. Her vision was now blurry, but she was able to make out the silhouettes of Cathal, Alessio, and Jet surrounding her.

_I failed again. I left my friend behind to take a beating while I ran...and I couldn't even make it to get help for him. I thought I'd gotten stronger, but...I'm still so weak._

“Ma-an! Don't you ruffians know that that's no way to treat a lady?!”

Levy recognized this voice. There was no mistaking the suave, yet unsettling voice of Blue Pegasus' Ichiya. She looked up in the direction of the guildhall and let out a sigh of relief. Ichiya stood only a few feet from her and her attackers, and he wasn't alone. Standing with him were his students: Hibiki, Ren, and Eve.

“And who might ye lot be?” Cathal asked menacingly.

Hibiki stepped forward and addressed the hostile captain. “We're known as The Trimens of Blue Pegasus; true gentleman who specialize in rescuing damsels in distress.”

“We speak clearly,” Eve chimed in, “so that the ladies know our true, pure intentions.”

“What an inconvenience.” Ren added coyly. “I guess I can help you out just this once.”

Cathal stepped over Levy's injured body and lined up with Jet and Alessio to face the womanizing wizards. After a moment of sizing them up, the ruthless captain turned his head to look at Jet.

“Whaddya say Master? Care te have some fun?”

Jet smirked in response. “But of course, dear boy. T'would be rude to leave without a proper introduction.”

“Wait a minute,” Hibiki said as he took another step forward to address Jet, “aren't you from Fairy Tail? Why are you attacking someone from your own guild? And why is this goon calling you 'Master'?”

“I suppose to an outsider that would be quite troubling, wouldn't it? Perhaps I've decided to start a rival guild with Captain Jabberwock here. Or, more likely, perhaps someone saw the value in me and decided to utilize my skills for once.”

Ichiya took a determined step ahead of Hibiki toward Cathal. “Do you mean to say that you are the dreaded sky pirate known as Captain Jabberwock?”

“Heh. At yer service ugly. S'always good te meet a fan.”

“Ma-an. I knew we were destined to duel! You will answer for the damage you've caused our Fairy Tail ally, and I, Captain Ichiya of the Christina II, will be the one to ensure you are placed behind bars for your fiendish acts!”

“Well, I cant say ye aren't confident. I'm dyin' te see ye try Pony Boy.”

“How dare you speak to Sir Ichiya that way!” Eve yelled in anger.

“I'm gonna make you eat those poorly formed words,” Ren added aggressively, “you wannabe pirate loser.”

“My, my,” the impostor Jet expressed coolly, “these gentlemen really find your accent revolting don't they? Given their appearance and reputation, I was under the impression that they would be more polite. Ah, well it can't be helped I suppose. Let's make examples of these buffoons, Jabberwock.”

“Aye, aye sir.”

In a blur, the possessed body of the Team Shadow Gear mage sprang into action. Within a second he planted his quick moving feet directly to the right of Eve and landed a hit on his chest. The impact caused the smaller of the Trimens to soar backward into Ren before falling to the ground. Hibiki only had time to turn his head slightly before Jet was upon him as well. Blocking the initial blow, he grabbed the Fairy Tail wizard's leg and quickly side stepped while using the force from the intended kick to throw Jet down.

_If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just allowed this inferior wizard to counter my attack Jet. That shouldn't be possible for you to do._

_Yeah, well I guess your magic has a time limit on it. I'm starting to get really sick of being used to hurt my friends, so get the hell out of my body!_

_Oh, is that so? Well I'm afraid I'm not quite finished with you yet. Now let's see here...Alessio?_

_How long do you believe you will be able to continue possessing my body Birk? What is it you're hoping to accomplish?_

_Do you want to know what my favorite thing about Body Possession Magic is? It's rendering someone powerful powerless. I have no doubts of your Mind Manipulation, Alessio. I know that's why Jose keeps you in his pocket; however, you are now under my complete control. I have neither the desire nor the need to inform you of my plans, and yet you will play a part in carrying them out. Now then, Mr. Bault if you would be so kind as to advise me on what is driving Jet here to break my hold I would greatly appreciate it._

_I don't know you Alessio, but you have to fight this guy. We can't just let him use us like some kind of tools!_

_I'm afraid I cannot release myself from his grasp. I apologize for the pain you will experience._

_What d-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_

_How utterly melodic. How long will this take? Although I can continue this brawl, it would appear his movements have become slower._

_Not long._

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_

_It appears his feelings toward Ms. McGarden are the cause of his resistance._

_Wh-what did you d-do t-t-to me?_

_No need to answer that, Alessio. I'm trying to place why that sounds so aggravatingly familiar. Didn't you and I have a conversation about your infatuation with this same girl? Personally, I don't see what all the fuss it about. I wouldn't dare to be as harsh as Jabberwock, but it's clear that she's not a very well-endowed girl, nor is her magic impressive. To each their own I suppose. Anyway, now that we know the cause, we can work out a solution._

Jet's body had been in an autopilot state of attack while the master of Goblin Horn, Birk, fought to regain full control over his mind. Once the conversation within his head had ended, his unrivaled speed picked up again. Eve was sent flying once again, but this time he was rendered unconscious as Jet's swift moving foot collided with the left side of his head. Ren stepped up behind the Fairy Tail wizard, and managed to restrain him while Hibiki landed a hit on him before Alessio intervened and helped him break free. After another fifteen minutes of attacking, the remaining two Trimens youngsters were both knocked out as well.

Meanwhile, Ichiya and Captain Cathal were having their own duel. The scent based mage had been struck multiple times by the precise hands of the Goblin Horn second in command, which had caused his right arm to become stiff and unusable. In retaliation, Ichiya released his 'Pain Parfum' onto his opponent, and this had helped in slowing down the opposing hand to hand combatant. With his three younger guild members down for the count, Ichiya was now concerned with the fact that he was outnumbered.

Levy was now beginning to get movement back in her leg, and her vision was only slightly wavering, so she decided it was time for her to jump in and help her allies. Rising to her feet, she ran toward the three attackers who were now closing in on the beaten Blue Pegasus wizard. Jet and Alessio heard her approaching and Cathal assured them he could handle the “smelly Pony man” by himself.

“SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC: CHAINS!”

_My God, she's brilliant._

_Silence yourself, Alessio!_

Instantly the formed chains wrapped themselves around Alessio Bault from his shoulders down to his ankles. He wavered while he attempted to keep his footing, but ended up crashing into the dirt anyway. Birk sprang forward in Jet's controlled body and tried to get ahold of her, but she dodge him just as she had earlier.

_You'll never get a hit on her. She knows my speed and fighting style too well._

_Is that so? I suppose I'll just have to start using my own moves then._

Turning back to face Levy, Birk straightened his posture while pulling out a container of what appeared to be lip balm. Taking the cap off delicately, he then swept the concoction over his lips and then rubbed them together slowly. Levy looked at him awkwardly but remained focused and ready for the inevitable attack to come. Once he'd placed the mysterious balm back into the pocket of Jet's pants, his eyes focused on the blue-haired girl intently.

_Why in the heck is he looking at me like that?_ She thought. _It doesn't matter, I have to stay focused._

_Jet, what would you say if I were to offer you the opportunity to do something that I am confident you've thought about on more than one occasion?_

_There's nothing you can offer me that would make me fight Levy, so just save it._

_I beg to differ. I can feel your desire as we stand here in front of her. What I am suggesting is that you go over to her and express your feelings with a kiss._

_Wh-n-I-I...I'm not doing that._

_Why ever not? You're so clearly smitten with her._

_Well, that d-you ca-ugh. It doesn't matter how I feel. I know she doesn't feel the same way, so I'm not going to further ruin our friendship by doing something that stupid._

_I suppose I should've went with my initial thought and just had Alessio do it. I'm sure he can get out of those chains, so I'll j-_

_Don't you dare you sick creep! Why are you pushing for a kiss so hard anyway?_

_Oh, I have my reasons, but it doesn't really matter seeing as how you'd rather watch another man kiss the woman you're in love with. So I'll just have Ale-_

_No you won't!_

_So you'll be doing it then?_

_I...why are you even asking for permission? You've had control over me from the second I walked into your guildhall. If you want to kiss her, then you've proven that you have the power to do it while being in control over my body._

_This is true, but I'm still a gentleman. I would never dream of forcing myself onto an unsuspecting girl; especially one that I don't particularly find desirable. You would be given complete control of this action._

_I can't just...kiss her. Not like this. I know she's already into someone else, and I can't do that to either of them...no matter how much I want to...but...I won't let her be taken advantage of by another stranger either._

_Another? You're saying you've already allowed her to be kissed by someone she wasn't familiar with?_

_No. It wasn't a kiss, and it isn't important. I'll do this, but then you get the hell out of my head and give me back my control of my damn body._

_You drive a hard bargain...but, I agree to your terms._

Still under the control of Birk, Jet stepped toward Levy delicately. The Goblin Horn Master had given Jet back his ability to speak, but he was still unable to move freely. His body continued to walk in the direction of his guild mate.

“Levy. It's really me talking right now. I need you to listen to me, okay?”

“Jet? How am I supposed to believe that it's really you now?”

“Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't trust me. I've done some seriously messed up stuff this last week, but I need you to trust me. Ask me anything that only I would know and I'll answer it.”

“Uh...I can't just think of something on the spot! Hang on, let me think. Why are you still moving toward me?”

“Well I said I was the one talking, but I'm not the one moving my body...um...okay here's something. Do you remember the day I told you I loved you?”

“Wh-well, yeah I remember...why?”

“Do you remember what you said to me when you turned me down?”

“...Jet.”

“You said that you loved me too, but not in the same way. We were so young back then, but I can remember how I cried there in front of you. You were always so nice...and even though you turned me down in the sweetest way possible you broke my heart that day. Then you sat there with me and let me cry, and you told me that I just wasn't the guy you saw yourself being with.”

“No, I remember, but...okay I believe you. What is going on?”

“Well, basically the Goblin Horn Master is a Body Possession user and he's been controlling me this entire time. He's going to let me have control over my body again, but I have to do something first...”

“Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what you have to do...?”

“Because you're probably not going to...but I have to do it so that I can get you out of here.”

“Um...okay. I trust you, so whatever it is just do it.”

Jet's body came to a hault in front of Levy. He noticed that he was now able to move his head and his neck freely. Now that he was here, he was beginning to feel anxious. He looked around and saw that Ichiya was struggling more against Cathal's wrath, and then he looked in the opposite direction and saw something peculiar. He immediately snapped his attention back to Levy, and new that he needed to stall for just another minute.

“Before I do this...I need you to know why...”

“You just told me why...didn't you?”

“I mean being able to fully use my own body is definitely the big part of it, but it's not the only reason...um...”

“You're really freaking me out Jet...just tell me what's going on. We need to help Ichiya and get back to Droy.”

“Alright...well, even though you rejected me that day...I'm sure you already know, but I've never stopped...loving you.”

Levy's face turned pink with embarrassment and guilt at Jet's confession. She looked at him, and tried to find something to say in return, but she just couldn't find any words that would make him feel better. It was just like that day he'd first confessed his feelings; she opened her mouth but he stopped her.

“You don't have to say anything, Levy. It's pretty obvious that you have feelings for someone else...but, I just wanted you to know...how I feel. And I really tried to get you out of my head by the way. When you were gone for that seven years, Droy eventually decided that he could move on...but I just...I couldn't. Then, we found you...still as young and bright and adorable as the last time I'd seen you. I don't think I'd ever been as happy as I was on that day. All of the feelings I'd tried to forget just magnified as soon as I saw you. I've loved you since I first joined Fairy Tail, and I don't think that'll ever change...”

Levy's face had now turned bright red with chagrin as she stared into Jet's glistening eyes. He glanced back over his shoulder and then quickly returned to gaze into her eyes. Birk was becoming impatient, and although he wanted to continue biding time for the backup he'd seen heading their way he knew he had to go ahead and do it. He leaned down and took Levy's small face in his hands. He could see that she was starting to understand what he was being forced to do, but she didn't pull away like he knew she desperately wanted to.

He slid his now free hands down Levy's neck until they were resting on her thin arms and then held her snugly. He could feel that her body was braced as if she were about to be hit. He softened his grip slightly, but kept his hands there above her elbows, and began to lean in to do the thing he'd dreamt of doing for so many years. Just before he closed his eyes, he saw that the expression on her face was one of discomfort which caused him to frown slightly. Just after he'd closed his eyes and started to feel the closeness of Levy's lips just in front of his own he was struck across the face with a long, metal rod.

“GET YOUR STUPID BRAINWASHED FACE OFF OF HER!”

Gajeel Redfox was standing just at the edge of the clearing to their right with Laxus Dreyar standing next to him and an exhausted looking Mest Gryder kneeling behind the pair. Levy's eyes filled with tears yet again, but this time it was from pure happiness at the sight of the man she loved. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Levy was snapped back into reality by Laxus who had stormed over to her.

“Hey small fry, which one of these punks is the one who hurt Freed?”

“Oh um, hey Laxus. Well, the one who did it isn't here...bu-”

“Damn it. Fine, then point to the one who did this to you.” He said as he motioned at her beaten face.

“Well, he's in chains...but Ichiya is fighting the second in command of the Goblin Horn guil-”

Without waiting for Levy to finish her sentence, Laxus marched over toward the barely standing Blue Pegasus ace and his rival. She watched as Cathal landed another jab into Ichiya's torso and then turned to run in her direction. Laxus attempted to intercept the unhinged captain, but Alessio Bault had finally managed to free himself from Levy's chains and tackled the thunder mage. Levy looked next to her to see that Jet was still unconscious, and before she could look behind her to see if Gajeel was heading over to her, Cathal was upon her.

She ducked out of the way of his initial attack just in time, but his stiff fingers managed to connect with her shoulder on a second swing. Even though she tried not to give a reaction, she couldn't help but cry out once again in agony. Now, with her arm being limp and her body sore and exhausted, she had to continue dodging the enraged captain's quick moving attacks.

“Did ye really think I wasn't goin' te catch ye?!” He shouted maniacally.

He went to strike her already badly bruised face, and she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid being hit this time. Her movements had slowed down drastically, and her vision was still blurring in and out of focus, so she closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable impact. After a couple of seconds, she had still not been hit, so she eased her eyelids back open and saw Gajeel standing between her and Cathal, holding him by the wrist.

“I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you're gonna regret tryin' to put your hands on her, you scumbag.”

“Gajeel...”

“Levy, take that idiot,” he said angrily as he motioned to the stirring body of Jet, “and get into the Blue Pegasus guildhall. I'll find you once I'm finished teaching this lowlife a lesson.”

“What? No way. I'm not leaving you alone to fight him, Gajeel.”

“Levy,” he said sternly as he turned his head so that he was looking directly into her eyes, “you've done enough. I'm gonna handle this guy and make him pay for doing that to you.”

He'd slightly motioned his head toward her face, as Laxus had done, to indicate that he was talking about all of the wounds she was carrying there.

“O', so ye think I be th'one who did that? S'pose I'd be upset too.”

“You shut your damn lyin' mouth!”

“Gajeel, he's not lying. Most of the bruising on my face was because of something else...”

“See, mate? Ye 'ave Alessio o'er there te thank fer that.”

“That's true too, BUT he's responsible for a lot more, and I want to help you take him down.”

“Not gonna happen, kid. Get to the hall. Now.”

“You're not the boss of me! I'm staying here with you! I'm sick of everyone saving me and then telling me to leave them behind with this creep!”

Cathal took this moment of distraction to try to land a hit on the Iron Dragon Slayer. He used his free hand to thrust his fingers toward Gajeel's rib cage, but rather than colliding with skin, his fingers were broken upon contact with his solid, iron torso. The twisted aircraft captain howled in anguish in response to this shock, and then Gajeel sent him flying with a hard punch into his chest.

“JET!”

“Huh...wh-Gajeel? Hey what the hell man? You knocked me out!”

“That's not important right now. Take Levy and get into the guildhall. Once I'm finished here, you and I are gonna have a talk about what the hell you were doin'.”

Jet's eyes widened in fear at the thought of having to deal with the generally ill-tempered Dragon Slayer, but rose from the ground and walked over to his teammate.

“Jet, don't you dare touch me! I'm not running away again!”

After looking to see if Gajeel was going to allow her to stay and getting a very cold expression, Jet decided that he'd rather deal with an angry Levy than stay there any longer.

“I'm really sorry about this, Levy.”

“No, J-”

She struggled against him, but Jet managed to lift her over his shoulder and began to run to the glamorous home of the Blue Pegasus guild. Gajeel turned back around to face the obnoxious Goblin Horn mage. He noticed that Cathal seemed to be distracted and decided to take a page out his book and throw a cheap shot. To his surprise, the captain dodged his attack with ease and then made a dash toward Laxus.

Alessio Bault had broken away from Laxus and was running to head off Jet and Levy. Becoming even more livid, Gajeel rushed after Cathal and called to Laxus to detain Alessio. The Thunder Legion leader threw a ranged thunder attack at the retreating assailant, which knocked him out cold. When he turned around, he only barely had time to avoid a jab from the guy that Levy had pointed out to him earlier.

“This one's mine, Gajeel. Go and make sure the other guy is dealt with.”

“Alright. Yell if you need me, and watch yourself. He's not big on clean fightin'.”

“Heh. I won't need yah. This guy's about to learn not to mess with our guild anymore.”

“If th'rest o' yer guild is as weak as that pathetic girl and th'round one, I see no reason fer concern.”

“Sorry, I don't understand what you just said. Sounded like maybe you were sayin' somethin' not so nice about my friends, though.”

“So what if I did?”

“Heh. You're pretty confident, aren't yah? We gonna keep standin' here tryin' to talk to each other or you gonna show me what you've got?”

“Alrigh' then.”

Jabberwock charged at the Thunder Dragon Slayer and, using his uninjured hand, threw multiple jabs that were intended to hit various vital spots on his opponent. Laxus was quick and managed to dodge the fast-moving hand while also launching his own attacks in retaliation. Both mages were incredibly gifted at their respective crafts, and the fight was impressive to say the least. Gajeel watched for a minute as the pair jumped and slid around the terrain in an almost artistic manner before he turned to the unconscious man before him.

“If you're still conscious, I swear...”

He knelt down to make sure that Alessio Bault was actually knocked out, and after confirming that he was he walked over to check on the beaten Trimens members. He noticed that Ichiya seemed to be worse off than the younger guys; half of his face seemed to be drooping while the rest remained straight-lined, as usual. After glancing back to see if Laxus was still holding out against Cathal, he picked up the small man and began walking toward the hall.

“Where the hell's the rest of your guild at old man?”

Though barely conscious, Ichiya was able to answer Gajeel's inquiry. “The damage to our town was minimal, so Master Bob has sent most of our men and women out to assist our less fortunate neighbors.”

Gajeel nodded thoughtfully in response and urged the Blue Pegasus wizard to rest. When he crossed the threshold into the foyer, he wasn't surprised to see an unhappy Levy McGarden standing near the doorway. She had her arms crossed and appeared to ready to start arguing as soon as she saw the Dragon Slayer, but her face softened upon seeing how badly Ichiya was hurt.

Jet was sitting to the right of the door, on guard, to ensure she wouldn't go back out into danger. Gajeel handed the passed out man to Jet and instructed him to find the guild's infirmary so that he could be treated. When he was sure that it was just him and Levy, he turned to face the clearly upset girl of his dreams.

“Look kid, I know you're upset, but-”

“I'm not upset you jerk! I'm angry! How could you do that to me?”

“How could I-...Levy. Do ya even know what your face looks like right now?! Do ya know how worried I've been?! I'm just tryin' to protect ya from gettin' hurt any more than ya already have been...look, we can talk about this later. Will ya help me get these other guys in here?”

“Gajeel...I didn't...yeah, of course!”

The couple made their way outside to grab the other Blue Pegasus members and observed Laxus casting thunderbolt after thunderbolt at the Goblin Horn Jabberwock. It was evident that the foe was slowing down in his defensive state, but still he continued his attempts at landing a blow on the Fairy Tail headmaster's grandson. Gajeel helped Levy pull Eve into a limp standing position and then beckoned her to hand him off to Jet who had reappeared in the doorway of the guild. Once he'd made sure the tiny girl was going to be able to drag the injured boy by herself, he surveyed the spot where the still sleeping Wraith Overlord wizard was laying and then picked Hibiki up off the ground and made his way over to Levy who was on her way back out to grab Ren.

She tried to pull the tallest of the Trimens up so that his arm was draped around her and she could more easily carry him, but she was really struggling to get him all the way up. She set him back down as gently as she could and decided to wait for Gajeel to return. When she looked over her shoulder to see if he was making his way back over there, her eyes were filled with the picture of Alessio Bault gliding over to her. She stood back up in an instant and stared him down curiously.

“Stop right there!”

“It's me, love. Birk has lost his hold on me.”

“How the heck do you expect me to believe that?”

“Inquisitive as ever. I believe your friend requested asking a question to prove this same thing, so ask me anything, love.”

“Um...I don't really know you though, so what am I supposed to ask? Oh gosh...okay, I think I've got it. You looked into my head a few times...and you saw my history with Gajeel...so you would be the only other person other than me that could answer this: When did I know that I...you know...?”

“Fell in love with him? That's not the easiest question to answer, is it? Though, I did request that you ask me anything, so I really can't complain. From what I observed, the very moment you began having romantic feelings for that brute was just before he volunteered to be your partner for the Fairy Tail S-Class trials. Though, based on your memories, you were actually attracted to him on a physical level just after he joined y-”

“Okay, okay! You're right, and I believe you!”

“Although it is positively adorable when you become flustered, I must depart now. I apologize for the pain and torment I've caused you and your allies.”

“You're not goin' anywhere, punk.”

The Iron Dragon Slayer had returned and was standing just behind Alessio. When the Mind Manipulation mage turned around, he was face to face with Gajeel. They stared at each other for a brief, silent moment as if sizing one another up.

“Ah, if it isn't the man who pinned Ms. McGarden to a tree. Do forgive me for being blunt, but you will not be detaining me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way.”

“Are you deaf or somethin'? I said ya ain't goin' anywhere. Not until I get all the information I need outta ya.”

“It seems that we're at an impasse then, because my Master is already expecting me back, and he isn't the sort of man who appreciates waiting.”

“Oh, yeah? And just who the hell is the Master of Goblin Horn anyway?”

“He isn't part of Goblin Horn, Gajeel. He's from a guild called Wraith Overlord...” Levy informed him, “and you know their Master better than any of us. You were part of his first guild: Phantom Lord.”

“So old Jose decided to give leadin' a guild another shot, huh? You're definitely comin' back to Fairy Tail with us then. I'm gonna find out what that idiot has planned this time around.”

“I can assure you, sir, that even if you were capable of capturing me, you lack the skills necessary to make me speak. Rather than waste your time, and mine for that matter, I propose you allow me to depart now.”

“Yeah, sorry, ain't gonna happen pal. Now, you wanna go the easy way or do you want me to beat the snot outta ya first?”

“How civil. I suppose I'll have to break my promise to Ms. McGarden and-”

“SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC: SHACKLES!”

Levy grabbed the newly formed handcuffs and attached one to Alessio's left wrist. Gajeel smirked and punched him in the face, knocking him down and giving Levy the opportunity to get his second wrist restrained as well. In the background, Laxus had finally been struck by Cathal's crippling fingers which caused him to lose the ability to move his left arm. He yelled in pain, but a rested Mest Gryder leapt forward and struck the cocky captain in the stomach while Laxus struck his chest with a bolt of thunder in retaliation. This sent the enemy flying to the edge of the trees with Mest heading over to bind him. Getting to his feet, the Jabberwock saw that his Master no longer had control over Jet or Alessio, and that he was about to be taken prisoner, and decided to retreat into the darkened overgrowth.

“DAMMIT! GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!”

Although he wanted to join Mest in chasing after the retreating enemy, Laxus knew that he was far too drained to catch him, defeat him, and lug him back to Magnolia. Instead, he yelled in frustration and then made his way over to the other two Fairy Tail mages and their captive. He lifted Alessio to his feet and led him into the Blue Pegasus guildhall while Levy and Gajeel dragged the still unconscious Ren behind him. Just when they'd reached the door, they heard the sound of a voice yelling behind them and turned around to see Panther Lily, Loke, and Bickslow running toward them in the moonlight.

“Oh my gosh, Lily! I was wondering where you were!”

“Levy! You're alright; I'm so relie-”

When he'd reached his friends, he looked at Levy's bruised face and began to tear up. Loke and Bickslow were in a state of shock as well when they caught up. Levy felt very awkward having everyone's eyes on her sore face, so she looked down in response. Gajeel noticed that she was uncomfortable and changed the subject to relieve the tension.

“Sorry for leavin' ya with these guys, Lily. We just couldn't wait.”

“Don't worry about it, Gajeel. I understand. I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner, but it took me a little while to find someone to help Droy and then we had to take the train.”

“How's Droy doing?”

“I won't lie to you, Levy...he was in pretty rough shape when we found him. Evergreen actually volunteered to stay behind to watch him and give Warren updates.”

“I shouldn't have left him...and now he's...”

“Don't do that to yourself.” Gajeel said as he passed Ren off to a couple members of Blue Pegasus that Jet had gathered, “What happened to him wasn't your fault.”

“Yes it is...I really thought I'd gotten stronger, but it turns out I'm still just the same weak girl who has to be saved all the time.”

“Levy,” Panther Lily empathized as he placed his hand on her shoulder, “I told you this once already, but you are one of the strongest people I've ever met. You were both terribly outnumbered, and if you hadn't made it here, then you would've been in the same state that Droy is right now. You can't beat yourself up over this.”

“He's right, kiddo. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you made the right call.”

“I didn't even get to make the call...Droy made me promise to go without him if we were caught...and we were.”

“Sounds like I owe him a song then. He saved one of the most important people in my life.”

Gajeel's comment lightened the mood slightly as the Fairy Tail wizards settled inside the Blue Pegasus guildhall. Master Bob greeted them all inside of the lounge area and asked them to recount everything that had led up to his strongest team being out of commission. Levy started from the beginning and recounted all that had happened to her. She left out the letter's transcription, as well as what Alessio had found out about her feelings towards Gajeel, but informed the group of every single detail that she could. Gajeel wore an expression that Levy couldn't place when she talked about how she was standing right in front of him in Crocus, and then he recounted his journey as well to fill in any blanks.

When they'd answered all of the Blue Pegasus Master's queries, he offered them accommodation for the evening and politely required that they all be inspected by the guild's healer for their injuries. The Fairy Tail members all agreed thankfully and Laxus, Levy, and Mest, who had only just returned from his attempt to capture Cathal, were all led to the infirmary. Loke decided he was going to go back to the Celestial Spirit World and update Lucy on the events that took place. Bickslow, Gajeel, and Panther Lily all insisted on staying with their friends in the lavish clinic. There were plenty of beds for them to all sleep in there comfortably for the night.

In the early hours of the morning, Levy got out of bed and crept from the room as quietly as she could manage. Before they had all retired to bed, Jenny had come to greet them all and she mentioned to Levy that she was more than welcome to use the ladies bath that was located just down the hall from the hospital. The thought of soaking her wounds in a nice, warm bath was almost too exciting for her to bare. Once she reached the door, she turned around to ensure she hadn't woken anyone up in her attempts to sneak from the room. Seeing that everyone was seemingly still snoozing away, she delicately turned the doorknob and exited.

Gajeel had watched her stumble through the dark room and had to keep himself from laughing when she nearly tripped over one of Bickslow's shoes. After she had closed the door, he rose out of his bed, walked over to where Jet was sleeping soundly, and snatched him up; holding his hand over the unsuspecting wizard's mouth to keep him from waking any of the others. In a sleep-hazed panic, Jet struggled against what he assumed was Master Birk trying to regain control over him until his eyes adjusted to the dark room and he saw that it was an annoyed Gajeel. He stopped fighting, and, after being threatened in hushed tones and gestures, sneakily followed the Dragon Slayer out of clinic.

They walked up the hallway and out the front door, which was making Jet even more anxious. He studied the back of the Iron Dragon Slayer's head for any kind of hint as to what he was feeling, but he was only met with silence. Once outside, Gajeel continued away from the guildhall and made for the clearing where they had just done battle earlier that evening. Reaching the center of the open area, Gajeel stopped and turned to face Jet with the same aggravated expression that he'd had when he woke him up.

“Hey man, what's going on?”

“I told ya we were gonna talk about what the hell was happenin' when I showed up, didn't I?”

“Oh,” Jet said in a panicked tone, “okay look...it wasn't what it looked like, I swear.”

“You're sayin' you weren't tryin' to kiss Levy?”

“Well,” Jet replied as sweat dripped down his face, “I was, b-”

“I KNEW IT!” Gajeel had started stomping, quite menacingly, toward his frightened guild mate now.

“Hey, wait! BUT, it was because of that Goblin Horn guy in my head. He said that if I didn't, then he would just make Alessio do it and I didn't want some complete stranger putting his lips on her, okay?”

“Oh really? So he was makin' you do it, huh?”

“Well...yes and no. I had control over myself literally right before you nailed me in the face, but if I didn't do it, then I wouldn't have gotten control back at all and I would've had to watch that other guy kiss her.”

“Hmph. Why would he want you to kiss her though? Is he some kinda creep?”

“No...I didn't tell Levy, but when I looked in my pocket to see what he'd put on my lips before, I found a weird serum. The name on the label is: Final Kiss...it's some kind of poison.”

“You mean, he was gonna use you to kill her?!”

“Yeah, I guess so. He seemed really mad about that other guy being into Levy, and Cathal hates her for helping Freed get away, so I guess he wanted to just get her out of the way...”

“Hmph. We need to keep that in mind for any future fights we pick with them...I'll let this go this time, but don't try it again. I know you and Droy care about her, but that's crossin' a line.”

“Yeah, it'll be tough to keep her away from him though...the guy is crazy. And trust me, I know not to try it again...um...hey while we're out here...can you answer something for me?”

“What?”

“Do you really love her? Because...I've seen how she is around you...and I can tell that she's definitely into you. I just think she deserves to be happy...even if I'm not the one that's gonna make that happen.”

“What the hell kinda question is that?!...let's get back to bed.”

Gajeel was clearly flustered when he walked past Jet, but under his breath he admitted: “Of course I do.” Jet was both glad to hear his confession and slightly hurt. He didn't see himself ever getting over Levy, but he knew Gajeel made her more than just happy. They walked back into the Blue Pegasus base without another word, and made their way back into the infirmary. Levy was still out of bed, so rather than falling back asleep Gajeel remained awake while lying in his bed and waited for her to return. Jet was also having trouble sleeping, but it was because of his feelings about the revelation of his friend's feelings toward the girl he was also in love with.

Levy had stayed in the soothing water for what felt like hours before she decided to go and get some more rest. She rose out of the luxurious, marbled bath and looked over the outfit that Jenny had given her earlier. It was a very pretty, magenta colored skirt that flowed down to just above her knees and an equally cute lavender colored crop top. She dressed herself and examined the new clothes in the mirror. Although this was not typically something that she would buy herself, Levy couldn't help but feel like Miss Fiore wearing it.

After checking out her new look for a minute, she caught sight of her face in the reflection. Immediately, she saw why everyone had been acting so strange toward her. Her small face was bruised all over, and the darker of those abrasions that were located on her temples were still tender. Luckily, the pageant queen had also gifted Levy with a specially made serum that she'd invented after her fight with Mirajane in the Grand Magic Games. It's purpose was to clear up any kind of mark, cut, or blemish by creating extra red blood cells temporarily. Although Jenny didn't use any kind of Regeneration Magic that Levy was aware of, she had a habit of making sure she would remain beautiful no matter the circumstance.

After applying the mask onto her face, she carried the fancy container with her out of the room. When she'd reached the hospital suite again, she moved stealthily to her bed in an attempt not to wake anyone up and then quietly climbed back into bed. She placed the jar of face cream on the nightstand next to her and then pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. Before she fell asleep again, she looked over at Gajeel who was staring over at her and blushed as she noticed how close their beds were to each other.

The next morning, the Fairy Tail group bid their friends at Blue Pegasus goodbye and boarded the train back to Magnolia with their prisoner. The “life saving” lotion concoction that Jenny had provided Levy with had done wonders to her face already. She'd applied it a second time before they departed and it was evident that most of the bruises on her face were now faded in color. She made a note to find a way to repay the Miss Fiore winner for the clothes and medicinal cream.

When the train stopped back in Oshibana, the team, minus Bickslow and Mest who stayed behind with Alessio Bault, exited the car, much to the excitement of Laxus and Gajeel, and made their way to the small clinic that was located only a short distance from the station. Evergreen greeted them all eagerly and updated them on Droy's condition which had improved significantly since they'd departed. He was still in rough shape, but the small town healer advised them that he was well enough to travel the short distance back to Magnolia Town. After a tear-filled reunion between the members of Team Shadow Gear, involving an apology from both Levy and Jet to their dear friend, the Fairy Tail wizards boarded the train once more and continued on their journey back home.

In the two hours it took them to reach their destination, Bickslow had mentioned that he'd thought he'd seen a wandering sould when he arrived in Clover Town, but it wasn't until Jet had explained that Master Birk possessed the ability to use Body Possession Magic that they concluded that it was possible he could be placing his own soul within bodies. The group sat and pondered this for a moment, but were interrupted when Laxus nearly fell out of his seat due to sickness. Everyone's spirits seemed to lift as they held back their laughter, and shortly afterwards the view of the Magnolia train station came into view.

Laxus and Gajeel practically fought to be the first ones to touch solid ground again while the rest took their time getting Alessio out of the train car securely, and then helping Droy exit slowly. The Thunder Legion took control of the imprisoned mage and trudged ahead with Mest while Jet and Droy followed behind them. Gajeel stayed back with Levy who was walking at a very slow pace, finally coming to a stop just outside of the South Gate Park. Without a word, she turned and made her way over to the base of the giant tree that was still perfectly intact and sat down with her back against the bark. Even though he was confused, the Iron Dragon Slayer urged Panther Lily to continue ahead before he joined her on the ground.

“You know,” she said airily, “I used to hate passing by this place after everything that happened.”

“Me too, kid. So why're we here?”

“Well...I told you guys about how Alessio went through my head and brought all of these memories to the front of my mind. It made me remember how afraid I used to be after that day, but I'm sick of being scared all the time. It's a bad memory, sure, but we've made so many more good ones together, don't you think?”

“Yeah...but what're ya tryin' to say?”

“Um...” He could see that she was very nervous for some reason, and she was clearly trying to think of what to say. “...I guess what I'm trying to say is...we should make a new memory for this spot. That way we can actually be happy for what that day actually represents...”

“And what is that...?”

“The day we met, jerk!”

“Uh, right. Yeah...”

“I just think...we need to be able to remember something good here is all...because even though something bad happened here that day...it was how I got to meet you, Gajeel.”

“i agree...so what'd ya have in mind?”

Her face went bright red as she took in a deep breath. “We...um...I never got to say anything about what you told me when you thought you were being dragged to the Underworld...so...”

“Uh-Levy...”

“Gajeel...I love you...” Her voice trailed off and her face become even brighter in the shade of the tree. She looked up at him with glistening eyes and was surprised to see that his were also beginning to fill with tears. He studied her face for a minute before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of yellow fabric. Her eyes widened in disbelief as he held it out for her.

“My headband...how did you...where did you...?”

“On our way to Clover Town. It hit Mest in the face and made him freak out. It was kinda funny, but it scared me when I realized what it was.”

“I thought it was gone...I...thank you.”

She tied it around her head as she usually wore it and smiled up at him. He smiled back at her and then, without warning, he leaned down and kissed her for the very first time. When they pulled away from each other they both blushed brilliantly in the morning sunlight and Levy rested her head against Gajeel's shoulder. Panther Lily, who had been watching from a branch above them, smiled widely and then flew ahead to the guildhall. They both sat there in bliss for a few moments before they decided it'd be best for them to go and meet up with their family.

Although the Fairy Tail guildhall was still in shambles, the wizards within were celebrating the return of Team Shadow Gear when they walked through the entryway. Lucy rushed over immediately and embraced Levy tightly while crying tears of joy and relief.

“Oh my gosh, Levy! I was so worried! Are you alright? Of course you aren't, look at your face...not that you aren't still super hot...um...how are you feeling?”

“I'm okay, LuLu, really. I'm...actually feeling way better than usual.”

Levy looked up at Gajeel and blushed when he smiled widely back at her. Lucy could tell that something had happened between them, but she couldn't ask what because Natsu had wandered over and pushed her out of the way so that he could give Gajeel a hard time about how long it took him to get back. This, of course, caused a heated debate between not just those two, but Gray, Elfman, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Mest as well. Makarov greeted his grandson and then instructed him to place the Wraith Overlord wizard into the one cell in their hall's dungeon that was still intact. Laxus did as his grandfather said and then made his way through the partying guild to update Makarov on the events that had transpired.

After nearly an hour of catching up, eating, drinking, and crowd surfing, the Fairy Tail Rescue Squad and members of Team Shadow Gear piled into the Master's makeshift hospital room. He greeted them all merrily and apologized for how compact of an area they were forced to congregate in. Laxus, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Mest were all shoulder to shoulder right in front of the crippled guild master while Levy, who was holding onto Panther Lily, was pulled into Gajeel's torso behind them. Neither of them seemed to mind being in such close quarters in that moment, but the Thunder Legion spent a good deal of time nudging each other in an attempt to get more wiggle room.

Master Makarov cleared his throat loudly and all movement and hushed arguing ceased. The loving father figure took the time to express his concern for each of them while they were away. Then, like Blue Pegasus' Master Bob, he requested a full recap of what had happened in the past week. They recounted their experiences once more and then waited for Makarov's response. He pondered for a little while and then explained: “I believe our top priority is going to be finding out where Wraith Overlord is located. We don't know much about this guild, but now that we have Jose's second in command I'm more than confident that we will get some answers. You've all been through too much these last seven days, so I want all of you to go and get treatment from Porlyusica and then I want you to rest.”

“Um, Master Makarov?” Levy said behind the tall figure of Bickslow.

“Thunder Legion, you may go. You as well, Mest. I'll speak with you all again shortly.” One by one they filed out of the curtained off area and went to meet up with Porlyusica who was already standing by.

“What is it, Levy?”

“Well,” she said inquisitively, “I was just curious if you were able to find out who sent the letter. I think I know who it was, but I'm not 100% sure.”

“It was Ivan. I could've recognized that horrible penmanship anywhere. I don't know what he's gotten himself mixed up in this time, but it has clearly gone over his head.”

“So I was right then. I was helped by someone who works for him and he mentioned that he sent the note because he wants to be the one who brings down our guild...but I can't figure out why he would use such a rarely spoken language...or how he even knows it.”

“Well, you know that my father lived here for a time and helped in founding Fairy Tail, but what you may not know is that my mother was actually a merchant here. She and the other vendors didn't really use Grandiflorian to speak verbally with one another, but actually used it for writing messages. It was a way of talking about customers or finances without anyone being the wiser. I grew up knowing how to write in the language and passed it on to Ivan.”

“That's...really cool! Would you be able to teach me more about it?”

“Levy...” Gajeel placed his hand onto his forehead in response to her typical inquiring mind.

“That's alright, my boy. I would be delighted. I never got around to teaching Laxus, and I can't think of anyone better to inherit this lost code than you Levy. Now, why don't you two go and get examined? Please make sure you get plenty of rest as well!”

They left the master alone in his room, and as he leaned back against his pillow he couldn't help but think of his son. The pair had never really gotten along since he allowed Ivan to join Fairy Tail, but he still worried about him. Whatever was going on with these dark guilds was clearly not something that was going to go away without a fight, and it was still unclear as to whether or not Ivan Dreyar would side with them or the enemy. He laid down and tried to fall asleep to the sounds of his children within the guildhall going crazy with excitement outside his room. Today was a day to celebrate and rejoice, but tomorrow would be the day they get some much needed answers to their many questions.


End file.
